Fighting for Freedom
by MissM3
Summary: They find her, they care for her, they even love her. Over time they discover her dark secrets. Can she regain everyone's trust, or will they send her to her death at the hands of the Saxons?  First Fan Fiction, please be nice!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone, so here is my story. It's the first one I've ever done so please be gentle! I hope you like it!**

Chapter one - Sofia

The battle had finally ended. After a day and a half of non-stop combat, Arthur and his Knights were victorious over the Saxons.  
"Check the bodies, there could be some alive in need of medical attention" said Arthur, the commander of the knights.  
The knights wondered around the battle field in search of any of their brothers-in-arms that could still be alive. Dagonet, a tall and intimidating knight, but a kind and gentle man walked carefully so he didn't kick any of the bodies. He saw something out the corner of his eye that he did not expect. _That Saxon has very feminine features _he thought, getting closer.  
"Arthur!" he called. All of the knights looked up, seeing Dagonet motioning for them to come closer.  
He bent down, moving the Saxon bodies off of the person's legs and torso. He reached up and touched the person's neck. There was a faint pulse. Not much, but a pulse none the less.  
"A woman" he announced as the others joined him.  
"What?" asked Galahad, the youngest of the knights.  
"She's still alive" he added. Arthur bent down and moved the blood and mud caked hair from the young woman's face.  
"She's young" stated Galahad. Arthur nodded in agreement,  
"No older then 20" he decided.  
He stood up then, looking at Dagonet,  
"Get her on your horse and take her back to the fort, a maid will help you find her a room when you arrive" he said. Dagonet nodded and gently picked up the young woman. Gawain, one of the younger knights followed behind him. He held the woman as Dagonet got on his horse, and they placed her so she was leaning against his chest so she wouldn't fall. He kicked his horse into a gallop and raced to the fort. Just as Arthur said, when he arrived a maid was at his side.  
"I need a room for this woman, and clean water and cloths as well" he said. The maid nodded and led him to a small room.  
"I shall return with the water" she said before she quickly left.  
Dagonet placed the woman down on the bed and pulled the covers up over her. He noticed a large gash on the woman's right arm._ That's going to need stitches_ he decided after examining it. Soon the maid returned with a bucket of warm water and cloths.  
"Here you go Sir" she said placing it at his side. He smiled,  
"Can I trouble you for a sewing kit? She needs stitches" he asked politely.  
"Of course Sir, no trouble at all, poor thing" she said, looking over the young woman.  
"Yes, looks like she's been through a lot" said Dagonet, wetting one of the cloths. The maid returned a moment later with the sewing kit and then left Dagonet to watch over the girl. He washed away the blood and dirt from her face, neck, arms and hands. He decided he would leave the rest for her to do on her own. He took his time carefully stitching her arm, he didn't want her to have a large scar. After he felt the woman was ok, he left for the night, promising he would return first thing in the morning.  
The next morning the young woman felt herself waking up. She felt warmth around her, which was pleasant, but that soon vanished when she felt incredible pain in her right arm. Her eyes opening quickly, the girl sat up, frightened at her new surroundings. She looked at her arm and saw the large gash and the stitches. _That explains the pain_ she thought. She looked around. She was in a small room with wooden walls. There was a small fire place in the corner and beside her bed was a table and matching chair. She looked down at herself and saw she was still in her dirty clothes and she could feel her hair being weighed down by the amount of mud in it. She wanted a bath, badly. Suddenly she remembered something and quickly she threw the blankets off of her. She sighed in relief, _oh thank god _she thought, smiling at her father's dagger that was poking out of her boot.  
She was startled by a quiet knock and then the door opening and she quickly pulled her blankets back up. A tall man walked in, holding a plate with two slices of bread on it. He smiled when he saw her sitting up.  
"Ah, your awake, you've been out since yesterday" he said, placing the plate on the table beside her. When she didn't say anything he sat down across from her in the chair.  
"What's your name, my lady?" he asked her.  
"Sofia" the girl said quietly.  
"Sofia, what a beautiful name."  
Sofia eyed the bread beside her and the tall man laughed,  
"Go ahead, I figured you would be hungry".  
Sofia didn't have to be asked twice. She wolfed down the bread so quickly; she blushed at the thought of eating that way in front of someone. The man stood up suddenly, startling her.  
"Oh I am sorry; I do not mean to scare you. I shall send in a maid to bring you warm water and a new outfit, you may want to wash up before our meeting with Arthur" he said, taking the empty plate. He nodded once before leaving the room. _Who was this man?_ Sofia didn't have much time to think about this because the maid entered with her bath water.  
"Come on dear, let's get you cleaned up" she said. Sofia smiled; it had been so long since her last bath. The maid's hands were gentle as she scrubbed the dirt off of her back and ran her hands threw her hair to get it clean. Sofia was happy to be in the presence of another woman, she didn't feel the need to constantly look over her shoulder, and that relaxed her. Once Sofia was cleaned up and in a new dress- it was a green long sleeved dress and it ran down to her ankles- the tall man from before came back to escort her to the Great Hall. They were silent the entire way, and when they entered the hall, a group of men stood up to welcome them.  
A man approached them and Sofia decided he must be their leader.  
"Welcome to the Great Hall my lady," he said touching her shoulder. Sofia shied away from the touch but the man just dropped his arm as if nothing happened.  
"My name is Arthur, and these are my men" he said gesturing around the large circular table. He introduced them one by one, and they either nodded or smiled when they heard their name. The tall man who escorted her she found out was named Dagonet.  
"Please, have a seat" he said leading her to an empty chair beside his own.  
"What is your name, my lady?" he asked her. Sofia grew nervous, feeling all their eyes on her.  
"Sofia" she said quietly.  
"Sofia?" Arthur repeated louder, both because he wanted to make sure he heard her right, and because he wasn't sure the men on the other side of the room could hear her. She nodded.  
"Tell me Sofia, what were you doing in the battle field yesterday?" asked Arthur.  
_Oh no, not already, I can't talk about this, not with all their eyes on me _Sofia hesitated.  
"I, I cannot remember" she said. A few of the other knights snickered, seeing threw the lie easily.  
"You cannot remember why you were in battle with a bunch of Saxons?" asked a knight who had been introduced as Lancelot. The young girl shook her head, feeling tears of both fear and anger welling up in her eyes. Arthur gave Lancelot a warning glare, as if telling him to be easy on her.  
"How old are you, Sofia?" asked Arthur. She cleared her throat,  
"18."  
"And where is your family?" he asked. Sofia looked him in the eye, almost begging him not to make her say it. When the girl said nothing, Arthur realized he wouldn't get any more information from her, at least not this morning. He stood up, looking at the rest of his men.  
"Shall we have lunch then?" he asked. The rest of the men stood up and smiled, thankful the interrogation was over. Arthur looked down at the girl,  
"Would you like to join us?" he asked. She shook her head,  
"I think I will just go back to my room if that's alright?" she asked.  
"Of course, Jols, can you escort his young lady to her room?" Jols was like Arthur's right-hand-man, always there to help out.  
"No no, thanks but I know the way" she said and she left quickly without giving Jols the chance to catch up.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two - Glimpse into the Past.

Sofia sat on her bed, knees pulled up to her chest. How could she possibly explain to Arthur and his knights that the reason she was at that battle was because she was supposed to kill them. Of course, she didn't want to kill them, but they would never understand. They would kill her, she was sure of it._ No, I will not tell them, I would have to tell them my whole past and I just can't talk about it_. There was one thing Sofia did not want to talk about, and that was her past. She had done horrible things and she hated herself for it.  
She jumped when there was a knock at her door. She got up and slowly opened the door. A tall, rather handsome knight stood before her, a small grin on his face.  
"I'm Lancelot, we met in the Great hall" he said. She shook her head,  
"Yes, I remember you" she opened her door, inviting him in but he shook his head.  
"Actually, I hoped you would like a tour" he said. Sofia smiled at his thoughtfulness,  
"Oh, yes that would be lovely" she said. She shut the door behind her and walked with him.  
"So, have you lived here long?" she asked, trying to make conversation before he asked her something she didn't want to answer.  
"14 years now, one more to go" he said, a large smile stretching across his face. Sofia looked up in confusion,  
"You're moving then?" she asked, wondering what he was counting down to.  
"You can say that. I am from Sarmatia. All of us knights are. We have been forced to serve the Roman Empire as knights for 15 years as a result of a battle that was fought long ago" he told her. She nodded, remembering hearing something about that a long time ago.  
"I am from Sarmatia as well" she told him. _I haven't been there in years, but it used to be my home_ she thought. Lancelot looked down at her in shock,  
"Really! Something in common, I am beginning to like you more already" he chuckled. They walked by the tavern and saw the rest of the knights eating and drinking.  
"Lancelot!" called Galahad, waving in the air at them.  
"Come on, they are all curious about you" said Lancelot putting his arm around her. She panicked without really thinking about it and ducked under his arm quickly, pushing it away from her as she did. He looked at her in surprise and quickly dropped his arm. The rest of the knights watched in confusion as the girl blushed.  
"I, I am so sorry, please excuse me!" she said and she hurried off to her room. Lancelot joined the rest of the men and they talked about the strange young woman.  
Back in her room, Sofia cursed herself _He wasn't going to hurt you! If you continue to act in strange ways, they will have more questions to ask!_ She paced her room, both embarrassed and angry at her actions. She wondered what the men thought of her. She wondered if it would be better if she just snuck away in the middle of the night so she didn't have to face them and their questions._ I could always just tell, parts of my past. They don't need to know the whole thing, and then maybe they will stop asking when they think they know everything_ she thought. She picked out the parts of her history she wanted to share, and made it into a believable story. That night, after dinner, Sofia decided she would gather the knights in the Great Hall and answer their questions.  
Once everyone was seated in the same places they had been before, Sofia cleared her throat.  
"I know that ever since my arrival here, you have all had questions for me, so I thought if I told you about my past, you would have all you needed to know and my actions wouldn't be so strange to you". The knights looked at each other and Sofia looked at Arthur, who nodded for her to go on.  
She cleared her throat again and began.  
"I am from Sarmatia" she started, getting the smiles she had expected when she revealed her birth place.  
"But I have not been there in quite some time, because the Saxons burnt down my village. I managed to escape, and I spent the next 2 years running around the Roman Empire undetected, unsure where to go. I eventually made my way here to Britain, where I felt hopeful of finding a place to live at Hadrian's Wall. But my hopes did not last long, for I was captured by Saxons. I was their slave for months, receiving beatings almost daily." She paused and looked at the expressions on everyone's face.  
"The reason you found me in the battle field was because the Saxons forced me to fight when they realized they were outnumbered. They would take anyone they could get and force them to fight, even a young slave."  
The knights now understood why she seemed to be so frightened around them, and Lancelot recalled her reaction when he touched her, and he felt bad for scaring her. Arthur turned to face her,  
"I am truly sorry for what you have been through, you are welcome to stay here as long as you would like" he said, offering her a gentle smile. She smiled in return and glanced at all the other men, who were nodding in agreement.  
"Thank you very much."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three - Practicing

It was dinner time and the knights invited Sofia to join them in the tavern. Everyone was sitting around the table, laughing and telling stories they remembered from home when Sofia noticed one of the knights was missing. She looked around and found him, leaning against the door frame looking outside.  
"Why doesn't he sit with us?" she asked, looking at the lone knights back.  
"That's Tristan, he likes to keep to himself" explained Gawain. Sofia nodded, and forgot about the man as she continued to listen to Galahads exciting future he had planned. Once most of the knights had wondered off to bed, Sofia found herself walking back to her room alone. She saw Tristan again, sitting alone at the top of the wall. She figured he was on guard, but she thought maybe he could use some company. He turned when he heard someone climbing the stairs, and allowed his hawk to fly off into the night.  
Sofia was startled as the bird flew off, she hadn't noticed it before.  
"Do you usually have a bird sit on your arm?" she asked. He nodded but didn't say anything. She finally made it to the top and smiled up at the knight.  
"I'm Sofia" she said, not sure if he would remember. He nodded,  
"I know." Sofia suddenly felt awkward, not exactly sure why she came up here in the first place.  
"Why are you here, Sofia?" he asked, apparently he wondered the same thing.  
"Well, I thought you could use some company, you didn't sit with us at dinner" she said.  
"That's because I like to be alone" he replied. Sofia got the hint.  
"Alright, well I'll leave you to your watch then, Good night" she headed back down the stairs, reminding herself to stay away from this knight.  
On her way back to her room, she heard Lancelot and Arthur arguing in the stables. She didn't mean to listen, but she over heard something about how outnumbered they were. Before she could hide, Lancelot stormed out of the stables and almost bumped right into her.  
"Sofia! What are you doing here?" he asked, shocked to see her.  
"I was just, heading back to my room" she stuttered, embarrassed she had been caught. He smiled,  
"May I walk you back?" he asked. She laughed and let him take her arm in his as they walked.  
"So I am assuming you heard Arthur and I?" he asked. She looked up at him but saw the grin so she knew he wasn't angry.  
"I heard you arguing that you were out numbered, that is all."  
"Woads, the native peoples here, keep attacking just west of us, but we don't have the numbers to kill them all" he said.  
"I can help" she said, looking up to watch his reaction.  
"You, fight? I don't think so" he said.  
"Hey, while I was with the Saxons they made me fight with them, I know how to fight" she said.  
"Even if you do, Arthur wouldn't allow it, and neither would I."  
Sofia huffed angrily, staring straight ahead. She was a pretty good fighter, if only she could prove it.  
"Let me show you, tomorrow. If I'm not good enough, I'll let it go" she looked up at his face, smiling as he thought about it.  
"It's to dangerous Sofia, why would you want to go into battle?" he asked.  
"Because, well, I want to help you" she said, deciding against telling him she cared about him.  
"We've been fighting for 14 years now, no offence but I don't think you will be much help."  
For some reason, those words stung. She new she wasn't an overly large girl, standing at only 5 foot 3, and she new she wasn't strong like these men were, but she really thought she would be helpful.  
"My apologies then, I guess I was mistaken" she said, pulling her arm free from him and walking ahead. Lancelot watched her go, debating on weather he should follow her. He decided against it, but he would let her show him what she could do tomorrow.  
The next morning Lancelot found Sofia sitting on the wall, looking over the grassy hills.  
"Good morning" he called to her, offering her an apple. She smiled and took it,  
"Morning."  
"So, what do you say to some practicing?" he asked her. She looked up at him,  
"Practicing what?"  
"Sword fighting of course." Sofia laughed,  
"Well, I can't turn down that offer." She once again pulled his arm around hers and they walked together to get some weapons.  
Once Lancelot had his two swords and Sofia had found herself a sword she liked, they walked to the grassy fields. Gawain, Galahad, Dagonet and Bors saw them walking towards the grass, and decided to follow to see what was going on.  
"Alright, are you ready?" asked Lancelot, swords in his hands. Sofia held hers up,  
"Ready."  
With that, they started. They started dancing around each other, the sound of metal on metal clinking every second around them. The men laughed and cheered on Sofia as she caused one of Lancelot's swords to fly to the side. They continued for almost a minute longer until Sofia's sword flew to the ground, landing at Dagonet's feet. Lancelot grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into him so her back was against his chest. He smirked and leaned into her ear,  
"I win" he whispered. She pulled away from him, determined to beat him.  
"Again!" she yelled, grabbing her sword.  
"Sofia, you've proved you have skill, we don't need to fight again." said Lancelot, putting his two swords into their cases on his back. Before she could argue Arthur came into the field, Tristan right beside him.  
"We must go, the Woads are making their way in this direction and we have to stop them" he said.  
"I'll come with you!" said Sofia joining the others.  
"No." said Arthur and Lancelot together.  
"It's too dangerous" added Arthur. Sofia watched as the men prepared their horses and left without her. She was angry she didn't get to go, but most of all she was worried. She cared about Lancelot, more then any of the others and she wanted to make sure he would be ok. Not knowing what else to do, Sofia made a plan. She would wait until it was dark outside, and she would find a horse in the stables. She was going to help the men weather they liked it or not.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four- Sneaking Out.

It was dark and Sofia tied her horse to a tree so it wouldn't get hurt in the battle. She snuck along the trees in the direction of the battle. She couldn't see it yet, but she could hear it. Five minutes later Sofia saw the fight. Arrows that had been lit on fire and now stuck in the ground were the only light for the people fighting. She strained her eyes to see Galahad and Tristan riding their horses around the battle, shooting arrows at anyone who got to close. Sofia didn't want to be caught by the knights cause she was certain they would not be impressed with her stupidity (which she considered bravery) so she climbed a tree. She sat perched in a large pine tree and fired some of her own arrows. At first no one noticed the arrows coming from the forest but it didn't take Tristan long to figure it out. Curious he turned his horse in the direction of the tree.  
"Oh no!" Sofia whispered as she quickly climbed down. She made it to the ground just as Tristan released an arrow. The arrow pierced the back of her shoulder and came out the other side. Sofia looked down at the bloody head of the arrow and screamed, falling to her knees. Tristan rode up closer; ready to put another arrow into the persons back when he realized the person was Sofia.  
"What are you doing here!" he hissed, stepping off his horse and running to her. Sofia was in shock, staring wide eyed at the arrow coming out of her body.  
"Tristan, what's wrong?" called Galahad riding to his side.  
"Oh my god" he said quietly, taking in the scene in front of him. He turned his head,  
"Arthur!" he called. Arthur dropped the woad he just stabbed, and ran over to Galahad. He saw Sofia, and quickly helped her onto his horse.  
"What are you doing here?" he asked her. She could hear the anger in his voice but she didn't answer him.  
"My horse" she said, slowly pointing in the direction she had left the horse.  
"I'll get it" said Galahad. Arthur nodded,  
"I'll take her back to the fort, you guys finish up here" he said. Tristan and Galahad nodded, turning back to the battle field. Lancelot looked over and saw Arthur riding away from the battle with someone on his horse.  
"Where is he going?" he asked Galahad when he got closer.  
"Its Sofia, she followed us" said Galahad. Lancelot jumped on his horse and followed Arthur, ignoring the others who yelled at him to stop. It didn't take him long to catch up to Arthur and Arthur turned when he heard someone approaching.  
"Lancelot, go back to the fight" he yelled.  
"Is she hurt?" he asked, ignoring the command. As he got closer he saw the arrow.  
"What happened!" he cried.  
"She'll be fine, go back!" yelled Arthur again.  
"I'm not leaving her!"  
Arthur gave up and they both rode back in silence.  
When they arrived at the fort many of the villagers looked on in confusion as only two knights returned. A maid ran to their side, seeing the injured girl in Arthur's arms.  
"Sir, what can I do?" she asked.  
"Get me warm water and wash cloths and a sewing kit" he said carrying Sofia to her room with Lancelot right behind him. They sat her on her bed and Arthur ripped the sleeve of her shirt so he could see the wound. Sofia grabbed his arm,  
"I'm so sorry" she said.  
"What were you doing out there?" asked Lancelot.  
"I wanted to help" she said, tears running down her face. He wiped them away with his thumb, leaving a hand on her cheek. He glanced at Arthur,  
"I can take it from here, Arthur" he said. Arthur nodded and left without saying anything. The maid gave him the things he needed and left, leaving them alone again.  
"I have to pull this out and its going to hurt" he told her. She nodded, knowing it had to be done. They sat directly across from each other and Lancelot took hold of the head of the arrow. Sofia having nothing else to hold onto gripped his knee and he quickly pulled the arrow out. She let out a cry, but tried to stay brave in front of him. He quickly put pressure on it with some of the wash cloths to stop the bleeding.  
Once her wound was all stitched up Lancelot gave her a comforting hug. She gave up on acting brave and let out all of her tears when he had started the stitching.  
"Now will you tell me what you were doing out there?" he asked in a soft voice.  
"I wanted to help, I couldn't just wait here" she said keeping her head on his chest.  
"You should have, it's to dangerous"  
"I know, but I didn't think Tristan would shoot me" she said. Lancelot sat up, anger all over his face.  
"Tristan did this!" he growled.  
"Yes but,"  
"He almost killed you!"  
"Yes but,"  
"What was he thinking!"  
"Lancelot!" she yelled. He looked at her.  
"It wasn't his fault! He didn't know, and I was hiding in a tree!" she cried, finally able to speak without being cut off. Lancelot stared at her and finally took a deep breath to calm himself down.  
"Don't be angry at him, it really was an accident" she said putting a hand on his shoulder. He reached up and covered her hand with his and nodded. She smiled,  
"You were quite concerned for me." His usual grin crept back onto his face.  
"Of course, with you gone who else would I rescue?"  
She smiled again and leaned her head on his chest. They sat that way until Lancelot realized she had fallen asleep. Careful not to wake her, he gently laid her down and left her alone to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey Guys, I hope you like it so far! So Arthur is going to get a little mad in this chapter. I hope I don't make him to different from the movie, I just wrote what I thought would be an appropriate reaction to the situation. Enjoy!**

Chapter Five - A fight and an Accusation.

It was a few hours later when the rest of the knights returned from the battle and Tristan headed towards Sofia's room, curious as to how she was doing. Only a few feet away from her door, Lancelot stepped out in front of him.  
"How's she..." Tristan started but was cut off by Lancelot's fist connecting with his jaw.  
"You almost killed her!" growled Lancelot gripping Tristan's shoulder tightly. He pushed his arm away and glared back at him.  
"It was an accident Lancelot! She was hiding in the forest. I couldn't see!" he cried.  
Sofia woke up in her room to loud voices yelling at each other. It seemed that a fight had broken out just outside her bedroom door. Recognizing one of the voices as Lancelot's, Sofia stepped outside and saw the two men yelling at each other.  
"Lancelot! Tristan!" she cried, running forward. With her good arm she attempted to pull Lancelot away from Tristan, but even that was too painful.  
"Stop!" she screamed. The men seemed to ignore her and continued yelling at each other. Finally Sofia got their attention by hitting Lancelot in the back of the head with her bow which she grabbed from just inside her door.  
"Ah!" yelled Lancelot turning to her, holding the back of his head.  
"Stop fighting!" she cried.  
"I truly am sorry Sofia, I had no idea" said Tristan, wiping blood away from his lip. Sofia smiled a bit,  
"I no you are, and I forgive you, but you better go before Lancelot gets angry again" she said, glancing at the knight beside her. Tristan nodded and left back to the stables to care for his horse. She turned and went into her room, knowing Lancelot would follow her. He looked at his hand after taking it off his head and there was a small circle of blood on it.  
"You didn't have to hit me so hard" he said.  
"Let me see"  
Lancelot bent down and after pushing his thick curls out of the way, Sofia spotted a small cut.  
"You'll be fine" she said. He could tell she was not happy with him.  
"He deserved it."  
"You didn't have to punch him Lancelot, he must feel bad enough as it is he doesn't need you yelling at him" she sat down on her bed and he sat beside her.  
"How are you doing?" he asked.  
"Its sore, but I'll be fine"  
"You cannot do that ever again do you understand me?" his voice was serious, and there was no trace of a grin on his face.  
"I had to see you were ok"  
"Battle is no place for a young woman, and you've been through a lot already you don't need to go through anymore." She looked up into his eyes and he smiled, putting both hands on either side of her face.  
"Promise me you won't sneak around anymore"  
"I promise." She new she probably wouldn't keep that promise, but it would make Lancelot feel better. Without any warning he leaned down, kissing her lightly on the lips. Sofia brought her arms up around his neck and ran her hands through his soft curls. Carefully laying her down so he didn't touch her shoulder, Lancelot laid off to the side of her good arm, continuing to kiss her.

It had been one month since the knights found Sofia buried under Saxon bodies in the battle field. Her shoulder was now completely healed, and Lancelot had taken to being her body guard, never letting her out of his sight. He even taught her new self defense moves for when he had to go away on patrol. It was getting late one night and Lancelot was escorting Sofia back to her room when Arthur started to approach them. Without any warning Arthur pinned Sofia to the wall, holding her there by wrapping his hand around her throat.  
"Arthur! What are you doing!" cried Lancelot but he was not answered. Instead Arthur leaned in close to Sofia, so close she could feel his hot breath.  
"You murdered Pelagius didn't you!" he accused.  
"What?" Sofia choked._ How did he know?_  
"You murdered Pelagius!" he repeated, his fingers digging farther into her neck.  
"Yes but...he was...bad" she managed to say. Arthur released her neck when he realized she was about to pass out. She gasped for air.  
"You have a lot of explaining to do!" he growled. He turned to Lancelot,  
"Great hall, 15 minutes!" he hissed before storming off.  
Lancelot reached forward and held Sofia to his chest. Once she managed to calm down and breathe normally again, the two of them silently made their way to the Great Hall where Sofia had no choice but to reveal the past she so badly wanted to keep hidden.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six - An Innocent Man's Death.

Arthur stood, all his men and Sofia sitting around him.  
"Knights, it appears we have been lied to" he said. The rest of the men, who had now grown to care greatly for her, stared in disbelief. Arthur turned to her; his dark eyes seemed to shoot arrows at her.  
"Now, you will tell us the truth, and you will tell us everything" he demanded, sitting back down. Sofia was caught; there was no point in hiding anything anymore.  
She took a deep breath and recalled every last detail of her past, starting with the day her life turned upside down.

_Sofia was an average 15 year old girl. Living in a small village with her mother, she was taught how to make food, clean and take care of injured soldiers when they returned from battle. She didn't exactly like doing all the chores while the men got to drink and eat as they pleased, but she new she wouldn't like fighting in a war either so she kept her complaints to herself. Her and her mother had a very close relationship though, and that's what kept her going. As much as Sofia wanted to run away, to live a life doing what she wanted, she new she couldn't abandon her mother.__  
__It was getting late one evening and Sofia was out grabbing the last of the blankets her mother had hung on the clothes line. A man ran past her suddenly and Sofia watched as he ran to the edge of the hill their village sat on. The moment he got a good look over the hill he was running back in her direction screaming at the top of his lungs.__  
__"Saxons! Saxons!" he cried. Soon the entire village was in a panic. Sofia ran to her mother,__  
__"Mother, come on we must hide!" she cried, grabbing her mothers hand and pulling her towards the forest.__  
__"No, Sofia you must go. I will not be able to keep up with you; I will get us both killed." Sofia couldn't believe what her mother was saying.__  
__"I will not leave you!" she cried.__  
__"You must! Now go!" yelled Sofia's mother, almost pushing her daughter away. Sofia realized her mother wouldn't change her mind so with one last tight hug, Sofia turned and ran for the forest. Sofia didn't stay to watch, she kept running, leaving the sounds of people screaming behind her.__  
__She woke up the next morning leaning up against the tree she had found late that night. She new it would be a huge risk for her to go back to the village in case the Saxons hadn't left yet, but she had to see if there were any survivors. Making her way back the way she came, she found her village was nothing but a pile of ash. She walked to the top of the hill, tears streaming down her face as she examined the ashes that were once her home. Bending down, she picked up a small dagger that was lying in the dirt. She couldn't believe her father's dagger hadn't been taken by the Saxons. Tucking it into her boot, she left the village and never looked back.__  
__It had been months since the attack. Now at age 16 Sofia had made it almost to Rome without being detected. She was making her way to a small river, in great need of a bath, when five Roman soldiers galloped towards her on their armored horses. They did not draw their weapons but they eyed the girl suspiously. __  
__"Who are you?" asked one of the men. He did not speak in English and Sofia could not understand him.__  
__"What are you doing here?" another asked in the same language. Sofia just stared at them, unsure of what to do next.__  
__"You cannot cross the Roman empire without permission" said the man who spoke first, again Sofia did not respond. __  
__"Grab her, perhaps she doesn't understand, Bishop Germanius will be able to communicate with her" said the first man to the second. One of the Roman soldiers jumped down from his horse and moved towards Sofia. She panicked but before she could grab her father's dagger the man overpowered her. He tied her hands behind her back and lifted her onto his horse. It took the rest of the day to get to the building in Rome that the bishop was staying at. The soldiers lead the girl to a room where they untied her hands but locked her inside. A few moments later the soldiers plus another older man came in. The older man smiled,__  
__"My name is Bishop Germanius, what is yours my lady?" he asked her. Sofia was happy to hear he spoke English.__  
__"Sofia."__  
__"And what were you doing out in the river alone?" he asked.__  
__"My village was burnt down by Saxons a long time ago, and I have been alone ever since" she explained.__  
__"I am very sorry to hear that, but you cannot cross this empire without permission. Trespassing is punished with death" he told her.__  
__Sofia's eyes widened with fear,__  
__"Please sir! I did not know where else to go! Please I'll do anything you ask of me! Don't kill me!" she cried. The Bishop hardly needed a young girl to do anything for him. Just as he was about to ignore her cries and order his men to kill her, an idea came into his mind. He smiled and something in his eyes told Sofia not to trust him. __  
__"Alright, you have a deal. You complete a single task for me, and I will set you free."__  
__"Yes! Anything you ask!" _  
_"I need you to kill someone" he said._  
_ Sofia's Jaw dropped with shock.__  
__"You want me to murder someone!" she cried.__  
__"This man is bad, he has killed in the past and he must be stopped!" __  
__"He's bad?" asked Sofia.__  
__"Yes, he has done nothing good in all his life! He deserves to die!" said the Bishop.__  
__"Well, if he is a killer then perhaps it's not so bad" said Sofia. The Bishop put his hands on her shoulders and smiled down at her.__  
__"You would be saving many people by doing this, young Sofia" he said to her. Sofia smiled at the thought of being a hero.__  
__"Ok, I'll do it, and then you shall set me free?" she asked,__  
__"Yes, you will be free to go where ever you please" he told her.__  
__"Alright, what is this mans name?" __  
__"Pelagius."__  
__Sofia waited in the shadows outside Pelagius' house. When she saw the man enter his home she waited a few moments before running and knocking on his door. He opened it and his eyes widened in shock when he saw a young girl who looked absolutely terrified. __  
__"Oh my dear! What has happened to you?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and bringing her inside. When Sofia didn't answer he looked down at her, putting hands on both sides of her face.__  
__"Dear, are you hurt? Shall I find someone to look after you?" he asked concern all over his face. Sofia couldn't believe how concerned this man was pretending to be. He was a murderer! It was probably this charm that he used to lure in his victims Sofia decided. Without any warning, she plunged her dagger into his stomach. The man fell to his knees, grabbing at his stomach with now blood soaked hands. Sofia did not stick around to watch him suffer, instead she turned around and ran back to the building the bishop was waiting in.__  
__When he saw her he ran to her. He noticed her bloody hands and dagger and called on a maid to bring her water to clean up. __  
__"He's dead?" he asked. Sofia nodded, unable to believe she really killed a man. While she cleaned up, the Bishop and his men went to Pelagius' house, finding the man dead in a pool of blood. Once the young girl was cleaned up, her fathers dagger safely tucked back into her boot, she met up with the Bishop. __  
__"You have kept your promise, you may leave in peace" he said to her. Sofia smiled and nodded her head.__  
__"Thank you."__  
__Sofia didn't linger around and ran off down a path into the forest. She didn't know where she was running to, but she wanted as far from the Bishop and Rome as she could get._ I just killed a man_ she thought. Tears streamed down her face at the thought of becoming a murderer. She tried to make herself feel better by telling herself the man she killed was a killer too, but it wasn't working. Once she found a small pond, she finally had to time to have that bath she needed badly. __  
__Sitting in the water, the girl wondered how her life had come to this. She was once so happy, with a mother who loved her, a warm place to sleep and food in her belly. She remembered the times she used to want to run away, how she hated living in a house all day. Now she would give anything to prepare a hot meal for someone and clean a house. Most of all, Sofia felt lonely. She took her fathers dagger from her clothes pile on the shore of the pond and cleaned off the missed spots of blood. She held the last thing she had from home gently, washing every little spot on the handle where dirt could get. __  
__Once she was clothed she found herself a nice tree to lean against and soon she was sleeping. In the morning, Sofia continued on her journey. She still had no place to go, but she couldn't just sit in one spot, she had to keep moving. More months past and Sofia celebrated another birthday alone. Now at 17 years old, Sofia had made her way to Britain. She was warned about the Saxons who controlled the Northern part of the island, but she was confident she would sneak past unnoticed. Her new plan was to make her way south, to Hadrian's Wall where hopefully she would find a place to call home. __  
__It was getting late, close to midnight Sofia realized when she heard cracking in the forest around her. Unsure if it was an animal or something else, she stopped, straining her eyes into the darkness. More cracking and quick footsteps told her it was not an animal. Before Sofia had time to draw her weapon, something hard hit the back of her head, and she was unconscious before she hit the ground._  
Sofia looked up at the men who were taking in her story.  
"That's when the Saxons took me, and you know the rest." she said.  
Arthur slammed his fist on the table and stood up, glaring down at Sofia.  
"That is a lie! Pelagius was not a monster! He was a kind man, teaching people of equality and peace! He was no murderer!" he cried. Sofia flinched at his sudden outburst and tried to keep the tears inside.  
"That's not what I was told, Arthur I swear if I new the Bishop was lying, I wouldn't have done it. I hate myself for what I've done" she looked around at the rest if the knights.  
"I am sorry I didn't tell you this before, but I am ashamed of it. I don't want to be known as a killer! Please forgive me" she said, a tear slipping down her cheek. She wiped it quickly. Arthur stormed out of the hall, obviously still angry about the death of Pelagius. Sofia went to run after him but Lancelot grabbed her arm.  
"You better let him calm down" he said. She nodded and let Lancelot take her outside for some fresh air. They sat down under a tree and Sofia leaned her head on Lancelot's shoulder.  
"Are you mad at me?" she asked him.  
"No, I can understand why you wouldn't tell us."  
"Will Arthur forgive me?"  
"He will, but you'll have to give him time. I never new this Pelagius, but Arthur spoke of him as if he were his own father."  
Sofia took in a deep breath to calm herself.  
"Don't worry, I wont let Arthur hurt you, he will need time, but he will come around."  
They sat together in silence for a long time, and Sofia hoped she wouldn't have to tell the last part of her history for she new none of the knights would ever trust her if they found out.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven - An Unaccepted Appology.

Sofia was alone in her room; Lancelot had just dropped her off for the night. Lancelot told her to stay away from Arthur, that if she wanted to talk to him she wasn't to do it alone. Knowing that Arthur wouldn't hurt her, Sofia quickly left to find him. Just as she was about to turn the next corner, she heard voices coming her way. She hid in the shadows behind a few barrels just in time for three villagers to walk by. They were obviously drunk and stumbled down the road. Sofia stood up when they were gone and was startled by a man stepping out around the corner, facing her like he new she was there.  
"Oh! Tristan I didn't see you there" she said, dusting the dirt off her skirt.  
"What are you doing out at this hour? Its late" he said.  
"I need to speak with Arthur" she said, moving to step around the knight. He stepped in front of her, cutting her off.  
"I don't think that's a good idea" he said.  
"Well I appreciate your concern, but I really need to speak with him" she said.  
"I was told not to let you leave your room" he said, face showing no emotion.  
"Who told you that!" she didn't need an answer. She new _exactly_ who told him that.  
Tristan could see anger growing on her face.  
"Listen, he just cares about you."  
"I don't care! He has no right making you spy on me!"  
"I wasn't spying on you; it's my watch right now. I was just told to; keep an eye out" he explained, obviously enjoying this.  
"Well I really need to speak to Arthur, so just tell Lancelot you didn't see me leave" she said.  
"Do you really think he will believe that?" Sofia new Tristan was right. If anyone was going to see anything happen, it would be him.  
"Are you mad at me?" she asked, suddenly curious if the others were mad too.  
"No, I'm not mad; I could hardly care about some Roman." He paused,  
"But I do know that Arthur cares, and you don't want to be going to see him right now" he added, trying to convince her to go back to her room.  
"Are the others mad? Did they say anything after the meeting?" she asked.  
"They were surprised, but no one is mad at you Sofia." She smiled; thankful she hadn't lost their trust with her lie. Tristan sighed,  
"Its Gawain's watch next and I'm supposed to pass on the message to him about keeping you in your room. You know as well as I do that if he saw you out here he wouldn't hesitate to pick you up and carry you to your room so you best be going back now." he said. Sofia smiled, he was right about Gawain, but she also figured she could seek past him easily.  
"Alright then, I will see you in the morning, good night Tristan." He nodded and watched her go back into her room. Tristan met Gawain on the wall and told him Lancelot's message. Gawain nodded, and kept an eye out for her. Sofia watched from her room as Tristan left Gawain alone and went to his room for the night. She opened her door and quietly walked through the shadows. She really did want to speak with Arthur, but now she also wanted to prove to the knights that she can sneak past them and take care of herself. Gawain was making his way down the stairs of the wall, probably going to take a walk through the village. She hid behind the same barrels that she had before, and waited for him to pass. He walked right by, and was almost at the end of the road before Sofia came out. She quietly made her way down the other end of the street. Gawain turned around just in time to see her glance back at him, and then run around the corner.  
"Hey!" he called, chasing after her. It took him a few minutes to catch up, but once he did he grabbed onto her arm.  
"What are you doing out here?" he asked.  
"I'm, going for a walk" she lied.  
"Oh really. So you weren't heading to Arthur's room then?" he asked knowing she was lying.  
"Please Gawain! Let me go speak to him!" she groaned, giving up on her fib.  
"I cannot let you do that." he said, pulling her back towards her room. She fought against his pull, and just as Tristan predicted Gawain hoisted her up onto his shoulder. She started kicking and hitting his back, hoping he would drop her, but he simply gripped her legs tighter and brought her to her room. He set her down on her feet inside her door.  
"Please stay here, I'm sure Lancelot will bring you to see Arthur tomorrow" he said and he closed the door. Sofia considered trying to escape again, but decided it was probably best for her to wait. Annoyed she laid down on her bed, thinking about what she would say to Arthur in the morning.  
Lancelot was pleased to hear from Tristan and Gawain that they stopped Sofia from seeing Arthur last night, but he was a bit frustrated that she had tried even after he warned her to stay away when he wasn't with her. He opened her door in the morning to find her room empty. Her shoes were gone so he new she was out somewhere, and he huffed angrily, guessing as to where she was. He was caught off guard when someone wrapped their arms around his waist.  
"Good morning" Sofia whispered, squeezing him tightly. He turned around and shut her room door.  
"Morning, where were you?" he asked. She held up and apple,  
"Breakfast, want it?" she offered it to him. He smiled and took a bite,  
"I heard you were quite busy last night" he said, a smirk creeping across his face. She rolled her eyes,  
"I can't believe you told them to watch out for me, I can talk to Arthur by myself you know." He smiled,  
"I know you can, but I would still like to be there. He surprised both of us the other night when he had you by the throat, and I don't want his anger coming out on you like that again" he explained. She nodded,  
"Well then can we go see him now? I would really like to speak to him."  
They arrived a few minutes later at Arthur's room, and he invited them in so they could speak in private. Lancelot and Sofia stood side by side facing Arthur, who looked just as mad as he had the last time Sofia saw him.  
"What is it?" he asked.  
"I came to apologize. I am sorry I didn't tell you before, and I am truly sorry about Pelagius, I really didn't know." Arthur's face showed no emotion, it was as if he hadn't heard a word she said. After a few moments of silence Sofia wasn't sure if he _had_ actually heard her.  
"Arthur?" she asked quietly, glancing at Lancelot who looked equally confused. In a flash, Arthur drew his sword and had the end pointing directly at Sofia's neck.  
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right here" he hissed, face beat red in anger. Lancelot couldn't point a sword at his best friend, so instead he stepped in front of Sofia, Arthur's blade now pointing at Lancelot's chest. He immediately lowered the weapon.  
"What are you doing!" he demanded, voice low.  
"It was an accident Arthur!" Lancelot replied, voice just as low. Sofia stepped out around Lancelot so she could see Arthur.  
"Please Arthur; believe me when I say I would have never done it had I known he was a good man."  
Arthur paused for a moment, and then dropped his sword to the ground. He pointed at the door,  
"Get out" he said, glaring at her. She stared back and then slowly became aware of Lancelot grabbing her wrist and pulling her out the door. They walked in silence until Lancelot stopped them behind the stables where they were alone. She glared up at him,  
"what was that!" she yelled. He looked confused,  
"What was what?"  
"You shouldn't have stepped in front of me like that! He could have killed you!"  
Lancelot let out a sarcastic sounding chuckle,  
"He wouldn't hurt me, but he _would _hurt you! That was me defending you!" he shot back.  
"Maybe he wouldn't hurt you intentionally! But what if he had been ready to plunge his sword into my neck and you stepped in the way, and he stabbed you instead! This is between me and Arthur!" she was so angry at that moment, she pushed on his chest. He hardly budged, which made her even angrier.  
"Relax Sofia, nothing bad happened to me so will you please calm down." he said in a quiet voice. Tears of anger spilled down her cheeks, and Lancelot pulled her into his chest and began rubbing her back as she cried.  
The next day Arthur and the knights had to go out to a neighbouring village and help defend against a small army of woads. Sofia met them all in the stables as they prepared to leave.  
"Now no sneaking around this time" said Galahad nudging her as he past. She smiled and rubbed her shoulder that Tristan had shot over a month ago,  
"Don't worry, I don't want Tristan to shoot my other arm." A few of the men laughed but Tristan just shook his head and continued preparing his horse. Arthur entered the stable and everyone went quiet. He glared for a moment at Sofia as he passed, and Lancelot subconsciously put an arm around her waist. Sofia glanced around the room at the rest of the men who smiled at her, but said nothing. She turned back to Lancelot and gave him a hug.  
"Please be careful" she whispered so the rest could not hear.  
"I always am, and you try and stay out of trouble." he whispered back. She smiled and he kissed her cheek before climbing onto his horse.  
"Be careful you guys" she said to the rest of the knights as they too climbed onto their horses.  
"Don't worry about us Sofia! A few woads won't get the best of us!" Laughed Bors.  
Gawain rustled up her hair as he past, and with that the knights were off. She ran to the top of the Wall to watch as the men rode east to battle.

**Hey Everyone. I was just having a bit of fun with the beginning of this chapter; I hope I didn't go to far from the movie characters. I just thought that out of them all, Gawain would seem most likely to do what he did. I also hope I didn't make Arthur seem to angry either. I don't really know how he would react in that situation but if you didn't like it, I am sorry. **


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight - An Attack.

The knights had been gone for three days so far and the village was expecting them back any time. That night Sofia sat at the tavern with a few of the villagers for dinner. She had a few glasses of wine before turning in for the night. She made her way home, tripping over her own feet a few times on the way. _Note to self, never drink this much wine at once again!_ She thought as she gripped a wall to steady herself. Before Sofia could even register what was happening, a strong arm grasped her shoulders and pulled her back, the other hand clamping hard on her mouth to prevent screaming. The arms were too strong to be female, so Sofia quickly decided she was being attacked by a man. The arms let go suddenly, and Sofia spun around to see three Roman guards standing there. They could smell the alcohol on her and the one who had grabbed her chuckled,  
"She's to drunk to even defend herself" the other two laughed as the first man pushed her shoulder, causing her to stumble back. Sofia quickly bent down and drew her father's dagger. This caused the men to laugh even harder,  
"That's an awfully big blade for a young woman, why don't you hand that over."  
Quickly the man grabbed onto Sofia's wrist and squeezed it tightly, causing her to drop the dagger. He bent down and picked it up,  
"What a nice dagger, I think I'll keep this for myself" he said examining it.  
"It was my fathers, please give it back!" she cried, reaching for the knife. He moved quickly and grabbed her outstretched hand and twisted it behind her back. Pulling her back into his chest the man held her tightly and held the dagger to her throat.  
"Arthur isn't the only man who cared about Pelagius you know, and with your precious Sarmatians gone to battle, we can get a little revenge without any interruption." he said. He pressed the blade into her throat, causing a small line which bled down her chest. He dropped the dagger to the ground and pushed her over to one of the other men who slapped her hard across the face. The third man backed off to watch; making sure no one would hear and come to investigate. The second man punched her hard in the stomach, causing her to bend at the waist. He then hit her on the back, causing her to fall to her knees.  
"Please! Stop!" she cried, shielding her face as the men started kicking her. The first man bent down and grabbed her hair, pulling her to her feet. He punched her in the face, connecting with her left eye. She stumbled back and the second man caught her. He threw her to the ground, causing her to scrape her elbow and knee on the stones. The third man who had been keeping watch waved his arm, which meant someone was coming. The first man bent down to her so he could whisper something in her ear.  
"Consider yourself lucky, this isn't over." she could feel his hot breath on her face and she shuddered. The guards quickly left and Sofia crawled over to her father's dagger. She slid it into place in her boot and tried to sit up. The pain in her entire body was too much, and she slowly fell into unconsciousness.  
The next morning Arthur and the knights returned from battle. They were all alive, with nothing more then a few cuts that needed stitches. Lancelot was excited to see Sofia again, and when she didn't arrive at the stables to greet them he was curious as to where she was.  
"I was expecting Sofia to be here, throwing herself into your arms by now" laughed Galahad. Apparently the others were wondering why she wasn't there either. One of the maids who tended to the injured soldiers walked up to Lancelot.  
"Sir, you should come with me right away" she said, putting a hand on his arm.  
"Why? I am not hurt" he said.  
"Not for yourself, but for Sofia" she responded.  
"What? What happened?" he asked panic in his voice.  
"Just come with me." she said and she turned, knowing he would follow. The others, except for Arthur, also followed, worried about the young girl. When they got to a room, the maid asked for the others to wait outside, and her and Lancelot entered together. His jaw dropped in shock when he saw her lying in the bed asleep. She had a large black eye, along with a bruise on her cheek. She had a small cut on her throat, and he could see bruises forming on her arms as well. She had a large scrape on her elbow, and defensive wounds on her hands. She tried to defend herself.  
"What happened to her?" he asked, sitting beside her in a chair.  
"One of the villagers found her in an alley like this, she hasn't woken up yet so we don't know the whole story." she explained. Lancelot nodded and gently took her small hand in his. The maid left him alone, and the others came in, equally as shocked as Lancelot had been.  
"Someone attacked her last night." said Lancelot. They stood in the room for a few moments, and then they left Lancelot to be with her, knowing he would get them if he needed them. He sat with her all day, and later that night Dagonet came back to get him.  
"You should come eat, she will be here when you're finished" he said. Lancelot nodded, and went with Dagonet to the tavern. Sofia opened her eyes at the sound of the door shutting, and saw she was alone in a room that was not hers. All the memories of last night came flooding back to her and she looked at her arms, seeing all the bruises and cuts. She went to sit up but quickly decided against that, feeling a horrible pain in her ribs_. Where is Lancelot? They must be back from battle now_ she thought. Suddenly a horrible thought crossed her mind. _What if he didn't make it!_ Tears rolled down her face and landed on her pillow. She let her eyes close and fell into a light sleep. A little while later she felt eyes on her, and slowly opened her eyes. It took a moment for them to adjust, and then she saw a man leaning over her. She immediately flinched, moving away from the man.  
"Hey, it's me! Its Lancelot, I'm not going to hurt you Sofia" he said gently. Sofia looked at him and his face came into focus. Tears rolled down her cheeks,  
"Your alive" she whispered. He chuckled,  
"Of course, we are all alive, we arrived this morning" he said. She sighed in relief when she heard everyone was safe.  
"Sofia, what happened to you?" he asked, touching her face lightly. She winced, even at the light touch her cheek still burned.  
"There were men, Roman men, they were angry" she closed her eyes trying to remember it all.  
"They were mad at me, they hit me. I was drunk." she remembered the wine she had at dinner.  
"Why were they mad?" he asked.  
"It was because of Pelagius, they cared about him too. There were three of them." She remembered the signal one of the guards made at the end.  
"They were interrupted, someone was coming." She opened her eyes and saw the anger on Lancelot's face. She reached up and cupped his cheek,  
"I'm glad your here" she whispered. He smiled and covered her hand on his face with his own. She tired to sit up again and fell back down when she felt a horrible pain shoot through her body. She lifted up her blanket and with Lancelot's help they looked at the huge black and blue bruises on her ribs.  
"How did this happen!" he growled angrily. She flinched at his anger, but reminded herself he wasn't going to hurt her.  
"They kicked me" she said, covering back up with the blanket. He let out a frustrated breath, dropping her hand and running his fingers threw his hair.  
"Do you know who it was?" he asked. She shook her head,  
"They never said their names" she told him.  
After two days of relaxing in bed, Sofia was finally ready to get up and go back to her own room. Lancelot had an arm around her, carrying most of her weight.  
"Can we sit outside for a bit instead, I don't want to go to my room just yet." she asked him. He smiled and brought her to sit on a bench under an apple tree. They watched from a distance as the others practiced on their horses. Sofia glanced over her shoulder and fear engulfed her entire body. Lancelot felt her tense and looked at her,  
"What's the matter?" he asked.  
"It's them!" she whispered. Lancelot followed her gaze and saw three Roman guards standing alone over by the wall, laughing about something. Sofia didn't have time to stop him. He stood, quickly drawing both of his swords and walked quickly to the Romans. The other knights looked over and saw Lancelot approaching three men with his swords, and Sofia struggling to get up and stop him. They rushed over and Dagonet ran to Sofia's side,  
"What's going on?" he asked her.  
"I have to stop him! It's the men who attacked me" she said, struggling against Dagonets arm that he wrapped around her shoulders. When the others heard her, they all ran forward with their weapons out, ready to help Lancelot take them down.  
"Please, Dag, let me go!" she cried but she was too weak to try and get away from him and watched as the knights stopped a few feet away from the Romans.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter nine - A Proper Date.

Dagonet wanted to kill those guys just as badly as the others did, but he stayed back with Sofia to keep her from running forward and getting hurt.  
"Hey, you three." called Lancelot, stopping a few feet away. They looked up,  
"Can we help you?" asked one of the bigger men.  
"Yeah, you can tell us why you attacked an innocent woman the other night and left her for dead in an alley" said Lancelot, tightening his grip on his swords in anger.  
"Innocent woman! That woman _killed_ an _innocent_ man!" yelled one of the Romans.  
"So you thought you would kill her in revenge?" asked Galahad.  
"She deserved it!" cried the bigger man.  
Lancelot lunged forward, but the big man dodged, getting cut on the side rather then a stab wound to the stomach. The Roman guards quickly drew their swords but decided not to fight when they realized how outnumbered they were and didn't stand a chance. After giving the men a good beating, the knights brought them to the prison. Then they went back to the bench where Sofia and Dagonet were waiting for them.  
"Their in jail, they all confessed to attacking you the other night" said Lancelot. Sofia stood up and hugged him,  
"Thank you." she said. She smiled at the others.  
"Thanks guys" she said to them.  
"No body gets away with messing with you!" said Bors.  
It had been a few weeks since the attack, and Sofia was mostly healed accept for a few bruised ribs and some cuts. Arthur was still as mad as ever, but he just avoided her so he wouldn't do something he would regret later on. Lancelot found Sofia sitting on top of the wall when he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, kissing the top of her head. She smiled and turned to face him, wrapping her arms around his waist.  
"I've been thinking" he said.  
"Uh oh" she teased. He rolled his eyes but grinned,  
"I've been thinking that you've been hear for almost two months and I haven't asked you to go on a proper date with me" he said. She smiled and waited for him to continue.  
"So Sofia, would you go on a date with me?" he asked. She stretched up on her toes and kissed his lips lightly,  
"Of course I will."  
Lancelot led her to the stables where he helped her onto his horse, and then got on behind her. He steered his horse threw some paths in the forest and they came to a stop at the base of a large hill. There was a small waterfall which ran into a pond. The water was clear and cool and very inviting.  
"Wow Lancelot." she said, looking around. He smiled,  
"I figured you would like it here." He spread out a blanket on the shore of the pond, and emptied out the basket of food he packed. Sofia smiled,  
"It's nice to see you not wearing all of your armor." she commented. Lancelot had strapped one of his swords to his horse, but he left all of his armor and weapons back at the fort, figuring he wouldn't need them on a date. He smiled back,  
"It's nice to take it off for once, but I will admit I feel a little exposed without it" he said jokingly. She laughed and pushed him down on his back. She ran her hands over his chest, feeling his sculpted muscles under his shirt,  
"You are rather exposed" she mumbled into his neck, kissing his collar bone. He chuckled and closed his eyes, taking in the feeling of her mouth on his neck. She ran her hands up the bottom of his shirt and rubbed his smooth skin before pulling his shirt over his head.  
"Shall we swim?" she asked, sitting up and looking at his bare chest. He laughed and stood up, kicking off his boots,  
"Yes we shall."  
Leaving a pile of clothing on the shore, the two of them swam in the cool water, sitting on the rocks under the waterfall. She sat on his lap, wrapping her legs around his waist. She ran her hands threw his wet hair, resting her elbows on his shoulders and kissing him forcefully. He wrapped his arms around her, his hands at the back of her head pulling her face closer. They spent the morning in the pond, and once they got cold enough, they got out and got dressed. Sitting on the blanket, Lancelot wrapped his cloak around her and pulled her into him as they ate. Once their food was gone, they got back on the horse and rode around for the most of the afternoon. They stayed close to the fort, not wanting a surprise attack from the woads. When they got home Lancelot went to his room to retrieve his armor, it was his watch next. Sofia went to her room as well, and Gawain was standing at her door waiting for her.  
"Hi, Gawain." she called as she got closer. He smiled and waved and walked over to her.  
"Have fun today?" he asked with a wink. She laughed and nodded.  
"Good, Anyways I'm here to deliver you a message" he said.  
"Oh, ok, what is it?"  
"Arthur wants to speak with you, in private, in his room." he explained. Sofia swallowed nervously,  
"Alone?" she asked.  
"Yes but don't worry, he seemed to be in a good mood" he said.  
"Great."  
Sofia left right away and Lancelot watched her from the wall as she headed to Arthur's room. He motioned for Gawain to come up to him.  
"Where is she going?" he asked when Gawain was close enough.  
"Arthur's room, he would like to speak to her." he told him. Lancelot looked concerned but Gawain put a hand on his shoulder,  
"Don't worry, I think he's finally come around."  
Lancelot nodded, but he was still worried.  
Meanwhile, Sofia arrived at Arthur's room. She took a deep breath, and then knocked. Arthur opened the door,  
"Ah, your back, come in" he said, opening the door wider. She stepped in and stood across the room, waiting for him to speak.  
"I am sorry for the way I have treated you. I hope you can forgive my actions." he said softly, a small smile spreading across his mouth.  
"Oh, of course Arthur. You don't need to apologize to me, you did nothing wrong" she said.  
"I did not need to threaten you" he said.  
"Well I forgive you." she said, smiling back at him. He looked at her arms, the bruises finally gone.  
"I'm glad you made a full recovery, the men who did that to you are being sent back to Rome so they can be dealt with there." he told her. She smiled,  
"Good, I'm glad." He nodded,  
"Well, that's all for now, I will see you later then." he said, moving and opening the door for her. She smiled and gave Arthur a hug, something he did not expect. He lightly hugged her back,  
"Thank you Arthur, this means a lot" she said before leaving his room back to her own.

**Hello again! So I thought it was time for them to start showing their…true feelings. I thought it was a cute idea…Hopefully you enjoyed it too!**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten - Love is in the Air.

When Lancelot was relieved by Galahad, he went straight to Sofia's room to find out what happened with Arthur. When he arrived, however, she was not there. His search came to an end when he found her with the others at the tavern having dinner. He came up behind her and kissed her head. She smiled and stood up, offering him her seat. He took it and quickly pulled her down onto his lap. Gawain and Bors were throwing knives at the middle of a board. Their laughing and horrible aim made it quite exciting to watch.  
"Why don't you get up and show them how it's done" Sofia said to Lancelot.  
"Yeah come on Lancelot! Show us how it's done!" said Bors, clearly drunk. Lancelot stood up and took a knife. He threw it, and it landed just left of the middle. Proud of himself, he let a huge smile spread across his face.  
"Wow that's how you do that gentleman!" he said, taking Gawains cup from him and taking a drink.  
Bors pulled the knife off the board and handed it to Sofia,  
"Come on, show him up. I know you can do it!" he said. Lancelot laughed,  
"She can't even hit the board!" he teased. Sofia stood up and took aim. Just as she was about to let go of the knife, Lancelot nudged her arm, causing the knife to miss the board and hit the wall.  
"What did I tell you!" he said. Sofia spun around and playfully smacked his cheek.  
"Cheater!" she accused. He laughed and pulled her close and planted a kiss on her forehead.  
"Oh come on Lancelot, don't disrupt our game with your never ending need for attention" said Bors. Lancelot smiled,  
"Shall we leave?" he whispered in her ear. She nodded, taking his hand. They said good night to the others, and left for her room.  
"How did it go with Arthur today?" he asked when they were alone.  
"It was quite a surprise actually. He apologized to me!"  
"Oh! So he forgives you then?" asked Lancelot.  
"Yes." she said, smiling up at him.  
"Oh that's excellent! I was wondering if he would come around soon, I'm glad to see he has" said Lancelot.  
When they got to her room, Sofia lit a fire to warm it up, and lit a few candles for some extra light. Lancelot closed the shutters to her windows and then grabbed her around the waist, careful not to hurt her ribs which were still a bit tender, and pulled her down on the bed beside him. She giggled as he kissed her and she worked at undoing the belts on his armor. He sat up, taking all of the armor off and resting it at the end of the bed. He lay down on top of her and continued kissing her, sliding his hands down her sides and back up again and down her arms which were stretched out above her head. She ran her hands threw his perfect thick hair and down his back, tracing his spine. This sent shivers down his entire body, which caused Sofia to chuckle. He sat up and studied her face. Her long dark brown hair was in a curly mess around her face and she had light brown freckles speckling her face from exposure to the sun. Her light blue eyes glowed in the candle light and he traced the outline of her lips with his finger. While he did this, she too studied his face. His dark eyes, which looked black in the candle light, sparkled with amusement. He had a few curls hanging down over his forehead and his dark beard was in much need of a touch up. He also had a few tiny scars that Sofia had never noticed before until that moment. From battle no doubt.  
"You are beautiful, my lady" he whispered. She smiled and leaned up to kiss him lightly.  
"So are you" she responded. He laughed, lying down beside her.  
"I would much rather handsome or mysterious" he said playing with a piece of her hair.  
"I suppose you fall under those categories as well" she said. He smiled and took her hand, kissing each knuckle.  
"I love you" he said quietly. Sofia looked at him, surprised at first, but couldn't help the smile that came.  
"I love you too, Lancelot" and with that, they were back in each others arms, kissing like they hadn't seen each other in months. Clothes were quickly discarded on the floor and they pressed their bodies closer to each other. Sofia ran her hands across his entire back, feeling every battle scar he had. Later on they pulled the blanket up, Sofia had it up to her chin but Lancelot had it just up to his waist which allowed Sofia to continue tracing his scars and muscles with her finger.  
"What about this one?" she asked, tracing a small scar that looked like it could have been caused from a knife or small dagger. Lancelot smiled,  
"That was an accident caused by Arthur. He doesn't drink much but when he does, you don't want to be near him when he throws a knife." Sofia laughed,  
"He hit you?".  
"He felt bad, the next morning after I reminded him of course."  
"What about this one?" she asked, tracing a long scar that ran from his belly button down to his right side.  
"Battle with the Saxons." he said. She looked up,  
"It looks like an old scar, how old were you when it happened?"  
"I think around 16 or 17, it was one of my first bad injuries" he told her. Her face looked worried, and she rested her head back down on his chest. He put a finger under her chin and tilted her face up to look at him,  
"What's wrong?" he asked.  
"Just the thought of you fighting, I don't like It." she said. He chuckled,  
"I've been doing it for 14 years, and I've done it with you around and you never acted like this." he said, wondering why she was so concerned now.  
"I've always felt this way about you going off to battle; I've just never shown it. I always worry about you Lancelot and everyone else as well. I wish you didn't have to fight anymore."  
"It will be over soon, I'm almost free." he said. She smiled,  
"What will happen when you're given your papers?" she asked.  
"I will marry you." he told her.  
"What else?"  
"We will build a house together, and we will have children, and we will be free."  
They laid in silence for a while, both thinking about their future together. Sofia looked up when she heard Lancelot's breathing get louder, and saw he was sleeping. His face was so peaceful when he slept she thought. She kissed his lips lightly before blowing out the candles. She laid on her side, looking into the fire across the room until sleep found her as well. 


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven - A Second that Cost Him.

Early the next morning Sofia and Lancelot were woken up by a loud pounding on the door. Sofia was about to get up when Lancelot stretched out his arm to stop her. He gave her a look, silently telling her to stay put while he quickly pulled on his pants. He grabbed one of his swords as the pounding continued. He opened the door a crack, and relaxed when he saw Arthur standing on the other side. He put his weapon back down and opened the door all the way.  
"Arthur, what brings you here this morning" asked Lancelot backing up to allow his friend in. Arthur's face showed an expression of worry, and Lancelot frowned.  
"We must go." said Arthur.  
"Go where?" asked Lancelot, grabbing his shirt from the floor and putting it on.  
"A large army of woads is moving in from the west, Tristan spotted them last night. They are coming this way and we are going to meet them before they get any closer to the fort" said Arthur.  
"I will meet you in the stables." said Lancelot, pulling on his boots. Arthur nodded and turned to leave, but Sofia jumped up quickly, keeping the blanket wrapped around her body.  
"Wait, Arthur, I can fight" she said. Lancelot and Arthur glanced at each other before Arthur turned back to her.  
"No, you are still healing from the attack."  
"No I am better, please let me fight." she pleaded with him. Arthur hesitated before nodding,  
"Alright, you can fight, but you stay close." he told her and he turned and left.  
"What are you thinking!" cried Lancelot.  
"I am not staying behind again!" she told him getting dressed.  
"You cannot fight!"  
"You've been teaching me for the past few months! And I already new how before that! I know what I'm doing I just haven't been given the opportunity to show you!" she cried.  
Lancelot grabbed onto her shoulder, looking directly into her eyes.  
"You will not leave my side, am I clear?" he demanded. She nodded, realizing how much he truly cared about her safety. He kissed her forehead before he grabbed his armor and strapped it to his chest. Making sure his swords were securely in place on his back, he and Sofia made their way to the stables. Sofia had her dagger in its place in her boot, and she grabbed the sword she used in practice and strapped it to her back. She also strapped a quiver of arrows to her back, and attached her bow to her horse. Once the knights and the other Roman soldiers that were coming with them were ready to go, everyone left the wall to meet the woads. They rode for five hours before spotting the army up ahead, moving along the tree line. Everyone stood in the two lines that formed their battle formation and Arthur stood out front facing them all. He rode up and down the line, yelling out an encouraging speech before he yelled out a battle cry. The rest of the knights joined in on the battle cry and Sofia looked to Lancelot for one last comforting smile as they kicked their horses forward. The woads prepared for the oncoming horses by shooting arrows. Some hit their marks, sending a few of the Roman soldiers flying to the ground, but many of the arrows landed just short. The knights crashed threw the woads, killing many. Lancelot dismounted and quickly drew his twin swords, killing a woad right away. Sofia dismounted beside him and they fought side by side, watching each others backs. The battle raged on, and Sofia looked up in horror as Galahad was knocked from his horse.  
"Lancelot!" she cried, grabbing his arm. Lancelot looked to where she pointed, and saw Galahad struggling on the ground, trying to find his sword.  
"Go!" said Lancelot, allowing Sofia to run forward to his aid. She got there just in time to push the woad down, landing on top of him. Galahad took this time to grab his sword and stand up, pulling Sofia to her feet. Together they killed the woad and he smiled his thanks before turning and fighting more. Lancelot took a second to make sure Sofia was ok, but that second cost him. While he was looking out for her, a woad that was hiding in the trees shot an arrow in his direction, hitting him in the leg. Lancelot fell to his knees, crying out. Another woad who was near by took this opportunity to hit Lancelot with his sword. Luckily his armor protected him from the blow, but he still received a deep gash in his side.  
"NO!" cried Sofia, pushing her way forward to Lancelot. Lancelot fell to his stomach after the hard hit from the woad, and the woad bent down, grasping him by the hair and pulling him to his knees. Suddenly the woad holding Lancelot fell, an arrow threw his skull. Sofia looked to the left, and saw Tristan had been the shooter. She ran forward to Lancelot who was on the ground, and bleeding pretty badly. She gathered all the strength she could find, and dragged her fallen knight to the safety of the trees. When they got behind a rather large tree, Sofia ripped a piece of cloth from her shirt and tied it around Lancelot's torso to stop the bleeding from his side. Suddenly he let out a cry, and Sofia thought for a moment she had hurt him.  
"Are you alright?" she asked him. She looked down and saw he had just pulled out the arrow that had been shot into his leg, and now the wound was gushing blood.  
"Oh!" she cried out, grasping his leg with her hands. She tied another piece of cloth around his leg but realized that wasn't going to hold. He needed help, and she couldn't offer it to him. Adrenaline pulsing threw her veins, Sofia lifted her love onto her back, draping him over her shoulders so she could hold onto his legs with one arm, and arms with the other. With another surge of adrenaline, she moved forward towards the battle field, spotting Lancelot's horse off to the side. She whistled for the horse, and it trotted up to her. She pushed Lancelot up onto the horse, and quickly got on behind him. She saw Tristan was still riding around shooting the woads that hid in the trees so she galloped over to him.  
"Tristan! Tell Arthur I've taken him back" she gestured to Lancelot.  
"He's hurt!" she added. Tristan nodded and Sofia left. She had never ridden so fast in her life, and arrived at the Wall much quicker then she expected. Two Roman guards who had stayed behind at the fort rushed over and helped her carry Lancelot to the room where the injured were looked after. Laying him down gently on the bed, the Romans left the maid to tend to the knight. Sofia stood off to the side and watched and the maids worked quickly, washing out his wounds and stitching them. Once everything was bandaged up Sofia thanked them.  
"Let me help you dear" one of the older maids said, gesturing to her forearm. Sofia hadn't even realized she had a cut there. She smiled and let the maid clean and bandage her arm before sitting in a chair beside Lancelot. She occupied herself by taking wash cloths and wiping the blood and dirt from his face and hands. Later in the day the rest of the knights returned and came to the room to either get looked after or see how Lancelot was doing.  
"How is he?" asked Arthur looking at his friend.  
"He will be ok, he just needs sleep" she said pushing a curl from his face.  
"Thank you, for what you did. He wouldn't be here if it hadn't been for you." said Arthur.  
"No need to thank me Arthur, I know he would have done the same."  
That night Sofia stood to finally go get something to eat, when Lancelot stirred. She looked at his face and saw his eyes were open slightly. She hurried back to his side and grasped his hand.  
"Lancelot?" she whispered. A small grin appeared on his face.  
"Oh thank god you're awake!" she said, leaning down and kissing his cheek.  
"You were quite concerned for me." he whispered, his grin stretching into a smile.  
"Of course, with you gone who else would I rescue?" she chuckled, using the exact same words he had on her when their positions were reversed. He laughed, but that caused him to wince in pain and she rubbed his arm gently.  
"Rest, my love. I'm going to get dinner would you like anything?" He shook his head no and closed his eyes. She kissed both eyelids before standing.  
"I'll be back soon." she whispered before leaving him to rest.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve - A Very Special Birthday.

Sofia stayed with Lancelot for the remainder of the night; he did not wake up again until the next morning. Sofia had fallen asleep sitting in the chair, leaning forward with her head on the bed beside Lancelot. She began to wake up the next morning from something moving in her hair. As she opened her eyes, she realized it was Lancelot, playing with strands of her long brown hair. She smiled and sat up, stretching her back.  
"Morning" he said, sounding much better then the day before.  
"Good morning, how are you feeling?" she asked, noticing the colour in his face was back to normal.  
"Much better" he said.  
"I'm glad, perhaps we can get you back to your own room later today" she suggested.  
"That would be nice, this bed is much harder then mine" he said with a look of disgust on his face. She smiled and kissed his cheek lightly.  
"Want anything for breakfast?" she asked, standing up.  
"Maybe just an apple" he said. She nodded and left to go to the tavern and then to change her clothes.  
Later on in the afternoon after Lancelot had a small nap, Galahad and Gawain came by to serve as human crutches for Lancelot who couldn't walk on his leg yet.  
"Where are we going?" asked Galahad when they got outside.  
"To that bench over there, I would like fresh air for a bit" said Lancelot, pointing to a bench over on the grassy hill. Galahad and Gawain helped their friend while Sofia carried his swords which had been leaning against his bed since he got back yesterday. They got to the bench and the two knights left, going to practice with the others. Lancelot took in a deep breath.  
"You forget how good fresh air feels until you are locked away in a room" he said. She smiled,  
"I know exactly what you mean."  
They sat together, watching the children play in the grassy fields and some villagers tend to the vegetables they grew. It grew late, and Sofia found Tristan and Galahad to help take Lancelot to his room.

It was now almost a year since Dagonet found Sofia in the battle field. Everything between Sofia and Arthur was fixed, and they were dear friends again. Lancelot was healed now, and practiced like usual with the other men. It was fall now, and the leaves on the trees had begun to turn beautiful shades of yellow, red and orange. Lancelot new today was a special day, and when he woke up with Sofia beside him in a room that they now shared, he was determined to make her birthday one to remember. Carefully getting out of bed so he did not disturb her, he set the bouquet of flowers he had picked for her on the table beside her bed. He left her a note saying 'gone to get breakfast, be back soon' on his pillow and left. Sofia woke up moments later, and frowned when she did not feel Lancelot beside her. But when she rolled over and saw the note, she smiled and sat up, seeing the flowers. She leaned over and examined the pretty daisies and lilies he had left for her, and smelt in their gorgeous sent. Soon after, Lancelot entered the room to find her holding her flowers with a large smile on her face.  
"They are beautiful!" she said, sniffing them one last time before putting them down on the table. He handed her the eggs and toast he had brought her and kissed her forehead.  
"Happy Birthday my love." he said, sitting beside her. She ate her meal, and then joined Lancelot for a walk to the field where he and the men were going to practice.  
"Must you practice on my birthday?" she asked, sticking out her bottom lip in a pout. He smiled and flicked her lip with his finger,  
"Only for a little while." When the rest of the knights saw them approach, Bors shouted happily.  
"Happy Birthday Sofia!" She laughed,  
"Thanks Bors!" The rest of the men smiled and yelled the same thing, and Galahad ran over to give her a big hug.  
"How old are you now?" asked Gawain patting her back.  
"19" she said. Most of the men laughed,  
"Lancelot, how did you manage to get someone so young and beautiful to fall for you?" asked Gawain. Bors laughed,  
"She was to young to know what she got herself into!" Lancelot glared at both of them, but still had a small grin on his face.  
"That's not true, I just know a gentleman when I see one" she said, leaning up a kissing his cheek. Lancelot smiled then, but before their conversation could continue Arthur arrived and the practicing went on. After they were done everyone went to the tavern for lunch, where the knights started up a loud singing of happy birthday. Vanora, Bors' lover but not yet wife came out with a small cupcake.  
"Not a big birthday cake I know, but someone!" she paused to punch Bors' shoulder, "Didn't tell me until this morning that it was your birthday!" she said. Sofia smiled and took the cupcake,  
"It's perfect" she said. "Thank you."  
That afternoon Lancelot and Sofia held hands, walking around the village and the grassy hills.  
"This birthday is truly the best one I can remember, I've spent the last three birthday's alone." she told him.  
"It's the first of many perfect birthdays I can promise you that." he said, squeezing her hand.  
"Thank you for everything Lancelot, you have no idea how much it means to me."  
"Well its not over yet!" he said. After dinner Lancelot brought her to the stables where they mounted his horse and rode off into the paths of the forest. They came to a stop at a familiar place, and Lancelot helped her off the horse. She smiled at the small waterfall and pond they had swam at a long time ago, and took in how beautiful it looked with all of the changing leaves.  
"You remember this place, right?" he asked, tying the horse to a tree so it wouldn't wander.  
"Our first real date, how could I forget" she said, taking his hand and walking to the water.  
They touched it with their toes, knowing it would be far to cold to swim but just to see how cold it really was. He turned to her, putting a hand on her shoulder he gently pushed down, silently telling her to sit on the rock behind her. After she sat, Lancelot looked at her and knelt before her.  
"Sofia, I know these past years of your life have been rough, but you have no idea how happy I am that we found you. You changed my life completely, and I can honestly say I don't know what I would do without you." he paused, taking her hands in his.  
"I will be given my discharge papers in a few months as you know, and we will finally be able to start that future we talk about so often. But first, before we can run off together and be happy, there is one thing we must do." He paused again and reached into his pocket, pulling out the most beautiful ring Sofia has even seen. It was all silver, and it had tiny stones in it that glittered in the sun.  
"That one thing is get married. I offer you this ring to symbolize my love for you. I love you Sofia, and I always will. I will do anything in my power to protect you and take care of you so with that being said." he took her hand in his, and held up the ring with his other hand.  
"Sofia, will you be my wife?" he asked. She stared into his deep brown eyes, taking in everything he just said. In the glow of the falling sun, Lancelot's eyes and hair seemed to sparkle. His skin glowed in a wonderful tan colour, and Sofia reached up to touch his cheek, almost unsure if this perfect man before her could be real.  
"Of course I will be your wife Lancelot." she whispered, trying to hold back the tears of joy that filled up her eyes. He smiled and looked down to her hand, sliding the ring into place. He reached up and pulled her close, kissing her like they would never see each other again. Finally when they pulled apart Sofia admired her new ring.  
"Its perfect Lancelot, I love it" she said.  
"I'm glad, It was the first ring I spotted and I thought of you immediately." he told her. With it getting later in the year, the days would get darker quicker, so they did not want to linger, fearing they would be caught by woads. They rode back to the fort with the little day light they had left, and the rest of the knights spotted them as the returned. Having known what Lancelot had planned for that evening, the others approached, smiles tattooed on their faces as they asked to see the ring and hear the details.  
"Congratulations to the both of you, I'm very happy for you" said Arthur hugging Sofia.  
"Thank you Arthur" she replied. They spent the rest of Sofia's birthday together, enjoying every minute of it. Little did Sofia know that sooner then later, everything she tried so hard to forget was going to come crashing down on her.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen - Loosing Their Trust.

The next day the knights found out they had to leave on patrol. Arthur was forced to stay behind at the fort while the others were split into groups to check on neighbouring villages. Tristan, Dagonet and Bors were sent east, while Lancelot, Galahad and Gawain were gone west. Sofia said her farewells to the men and stood with Arthur as they left.  
"I should be going with them" he said, feeling bad he had to stay behind to protect the fort.  
"Don't worry Arthur they will be fine." she said. He smiled at her before he left to his room. By the third day Sofia had to find things to keep her busy because she found herself sitting on the wall, looking mostly to the west waiting for their arrival home. She decided she would go to the stables and brush the spare horses, they never got as much attention as the knights horses did, and she felt bad for them. It had grown dark and Sofia wrapped her cloak around her tightly to keep warm as she finished the last horse. She looked up when she heard someone enter, and smiled at Arthur as he got closer. From the candle light, she could see he did not return the smile, his face remained expressionless.  
"Tristan, Dagonet and Bors returned." he said. She smiled,  
"They are alright?" she asked. He nodded but still showed no emotion.  
"They did however come across a small scouting party of Saxons" he told her. She looked in surprise.  
"They were not hurt right? They killed them?" she asked, worried.  
"They killed them, but not before they listened to a rather interesting conversation they were having" he said. Sofia's eye brows came together in confusion.  
"Interesting conversation?" she asked, waiting for him to go on.  
"Yes they spoke of a woman slave they were searching for. She went missing in a battle about a year ago and they were annoyed that their commander, Cerdic, was still looking for her." he told her. _No! No no no!_ Sofia thought, trying not to show anything on her face. Arthur went on,  
"You know the strangest part of all?" he asked. Sofia shook her head no.  
"Cerdic wanted that woman to perform a task for him, a task which would have set this girl free from them. That task, Sofia, was to kill myself and my knights". Sofia watched as his eyes showed their true anger towards her.  
"Does this story sound familiar to you?" he asked. She hesitated, unsure if she should confess or not. He took her silence as a yes.  
"You have lied not only once, but twice now! How do you think my knights will react when they find out the girl they have come to love and trust was here to kill them!" he shouted.  
"No Arthur! You don't understand!" she cried.  
"Then please tell me what's going on!" he demanded.  
"Yes, I did agree to kill you, but I was never actually going to! I was a slave for the Saxons for a year but I still new they were the enemy and you were the good guys! I would never kill you! I agreed to it so he would trust me, and my plan was to escape in the battle." she explained, desperation in her voice. Arthur stared at her for a moment before he spoke again.  
"You will explain _everything_ in the Great hall once the others return from patrol. I expect the truth, and I expect the _whole story_." he said this in a low voice, almost like a growl. He turned and left the stables without another word. Sofia sunk down the wall, landing on a pile of hay. Pulling her knees up to her chest, Sofia rested her arms on top of her knees and began to cry. She loved the knights and she new they would be angry with her. She new they may never trust her again. Most of all, she was worried what Lancelot would think of her. Would he understand like last time? Would he be angry that she didn't tell him? She never meant to kill the knights, but would they believe her? They had to! They new her and they new how she felt about them. A scouting party was out? That only meant one thing, and that was the Saxons were planning an attack. Cerdic was looking for her! She new she stood no chance against him or his horrible son. She needed the knights now more then ever. _I need to them protect me from those monsters! _she thought, shuddering at the thought of being re-captured by the Saxons. _Not protect me, help me! I need them to help me kill them!_ Sofia new that if Cerdic and Cynric were dead, they would not be hunting her down, she would be free! The only problem was she was positive the knights would not trust her once she told them her story, and she would be alone. _Would they really leave me alone for the Saxons to take?_ She wondered. After thinking about her situation for a long time, she finally picked herself up off the stable floor and went to her room.  
The next morning she was woken up by Jols knocking on the door.  
"I'm here to escort you to the Great Hall my lady, the rest of the knights have returned" he told her when she opened the door. She nodded and went with him. They were silent the entire way, and Sofia's mind was racing. She was excited to see Lancelot, and very happy everyone made it home alright, but she was scared to see how they were going to react to the news. Jols opened the door for her, and no one stood to greet her as she entered. Judging by their faces, Arthur had already given them the story Tristan, Dagonet and Bors had given him. She walked silently to a chair next to Arthur's, and looked to Lancelot who angrily looked away. She remembered back to only 4 days ago when he purposed to her, and how happy they were. She sat down and waited for Arthur to start but he said nothing. The silence grew awkward and she turned to Arthur who stared back at her.  
"We are waiting for your side of the story" he said flatly.  
"Oh" she whispered and she cleared her throat. She looked at each of their faces before standing up and starting.  
"So, as you all are aware of, the Saxons are looking for me. Like I told you before, they captured me after I made my way here to Britain, and they used me as a slave. After a while of torturing me and making me do things that no one should have to do, they started to train me how to fight. I was desperate at that point to try and find a way out, so I went to Cerdic to ask him a question. I feared he would have me killed when I asked for freedom, but instead he told me if I completed one task, he would let me go free." she paused her story to glance around at the faces in front of her. Seeing nothing but anger or confusion, she continued.  
"That one task was to kill Arthur and his knights. I had been with the Saxons for almost a year, but I still new they were the enemy and you all were the good guys, so I new I could never hurt you. I agreed to do it, but only so Cerdic would trust me. My plan was to escape in the forest during the battle." she explained.  
"Why didn't it work? Why did we find you in the battle field?" asked Dagonet.  
"Well I had been running around the field, trying to look like I was fighting when really, I didn't touch a single person. I was suddenly hit hard in the back of the head and fell to the ground. Saxon bodies started landing on me, so I changed my plan to playing dead until the battle ended and escaping at the end. I guess I passed out from the head would because the next time I opened my eyes, I was with you."  
The knights looked around at each other. No one seemed to believe her story, and she couldn't understand why. Looking to Lancelot, she pleaded with him.  
"Lancelot you know me best of all! You know I would never hurt any of you!" she looked back at the others.  
"I know I've lied to you in the past, but I swear to you this is the truth." Lancelot stood up, and he was in front of her in a flash. He grasped her wrist tightly, almost painfully tight, and pulled the ring off her finger.  
"I new you, Sofia. Now I wish I never met you" he hissed before leaving the Hall, the others close behind. Sofia found herself alone with Arthur, and she turned to him, tears in her eyes.  
"Arthur please" she whispered. He looked down at her, his face revealing nothing of how he felt.  
"You should rest this week. Next week we will meet the Saxons and you'll want all the strength you can get." he said before turning and leaving as well.  
Now in her room, tears rolling freely down her cheeks, Sofia couldn't believe what just happened. _They are clearly over reacting; they will come around_ she thought. _But what if they don't? Would they really leave me alone to face the men who tortured me for a year?_ She really couldn't decide how the men felt about her, and it scared her. But what scared her most of all was that she didn't know how Lancelot felt about her. She wanted so badly to go and speak with him, but at the same time she thought she should give him space and time to think. He would realize she wouldn't kill them, he had to.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen - The Battle Begins.

It had been three days since the meeting in the Great Hall, and Sofia hadn't had a chance to speak to any of the knights. When they would see her coming, they would either leave or stare her down until she felt nervous and wouldn't go to them. Four more days until they all moved out, heading to battle with the Saxons and she had no idea if she stood alone, or if she had the help of her friends. She needed to get away from the village for a while so she went to the stables and prepared herself a horse. She rode the horse into the forest, and stopped at the pond. This was the last place she felt truly happy. She would give anything to have that day back. Leaving the horse to roam freely around the pond, Sofia went and sat on a rock, dangling her toes in the freezing water. A light breeze played with her hair and blew the light fabric of her dress around her. She smiled, inhaling the cool air, feeling it whip her hair about her face. She watched as red and yellow leaves danced to the ground, many of them landing in the water. She closed her eyes, replaying the last time she was here in her mind. _"Will you be my wife?"_ that was the best moment of her life. She looked down at her now bare finger; the ring hadn't even been there long enough to leave a mark. A twig snapped behind her, and she whipped her head around. She stared in shock as Lancelot stood, leaning against a tree facing her. She stood up, moving her wild hair from her face to get a better look. He really was there, it was really him.  
"Lancelot, how did you know I was here?" she asked him, moving closer to him.  
"A lucky guess" he said with a shrug.  
"Why did you come?"  
"I wanted to speak with you" he told her, pushing off the tree and taking a step forward. She stopped and they were only a foot away from each other. She waited for him to continue. It took him a moment before he went on.  
"I've been doing a lot of thinking these past three days. Thinking about your story, thinking about the girl I've spent the last year with. You said I know you best of all, and the girl I know would not harm me or my friends." he said. She smiled,  
"I told you, you knew me best" she said.  
"With that being said, I am still hurt you did not tell me this before. It would have been much less suspicious if you had just told us rather then keeping it a huge secret." he told her. She nodded in agreement.  
"I know that now. I should have told you the truth right from the start, but I was afraid."  
"Afraid of what?" he asked.  
"Of everything. Of what you all would think of me. Of what you might do to me..." her voice trailed off. He reached out, placing his palm gently on her cheek.  
"Sofia, I would never hurt you." he said. She leaned into his hand, she missed his touch.  
"I know that now." she replied. Lancelot pulled her into a hug, leaning his face down he breathed in the scent of her hair. She hugged him back, wrapping her arms around his strong body,  
"I missed you" she whispered.  
"I missed you too."  
They stood like that for a while and then Lancelot pulled back, and reached into his pocket.  
"This belongs to you." he said, and he slid her ring back to where it belonged. She smiled up at him and kissed him. They parted again and sat down together on the rock she had been sitting on when he arrived.  
"Do the others feel the same way you do? Or are they still upset with me?" she asked.  
"Dagonet is coming around, so is Galahad. As for the others, it might take time."  
"But the battle is only four days away!" she cried. He pulled her into his side where she leaned her head on his shoulder.  
"Do not fear my love, even if it is only you and me out there, I wont let anything happen to you."  
"If we kill Cerdic and his son, Cynric, I will be free. We have to kill them" she told him. He nodded,  
"I know that, and we will."  
They decided to head back to the fort and when they arrived at the stables, Gawain and Galahad were inside. They looked up with surprise when they saw the two together.  
"Hi there gentlemen" she said, getting off her horse. Galahad nodded his head, a small smile on his face. Gawain on the other hand, turned and left the room as if she hadn't even spoken to him. She glanced nervously at Lancelot.  
"Galahad, where do you stand with this situation?" he asked, getting straight to business. Galahad was quiet for a moment but then he smiled.  
"I believe you" he said. She smiled,  
"Oh Galahad, you have no idea how much that means. Thank you!" she cried. She considered hugging him, but she controlled herself.  
"Gawain on the other hand, I think it might take him a bit longer." he added. She nodded,  
"I can understand that. I really didn't expect anyone to believe me so for you two to trust me, it means the world to me." she told them both. That evening Lancelot and Sofia managed to speak with Dagonet, who felt the same as Galahad.  
"You are a brave, strong, kind young woman. I know you were in great need of freedom from the Saxons, and I can understand what you did." he told her. This time she didn't hold back, and wrapped Dagonet in a huge hug.  
That night, Lancelot and Sofia were back in their old room together, and Sofia was still worrying about the others.  
"If Arthur believes me, the others will too." she said. Lancelot nodded,  
"I will speak to him tomorrow."  
"I need Gawain..." she started to speak but was cut off by Lancelot putting his fingers to her lips.  
"Shhh, enough" he whispered softly, a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth.  
"Enough worrying for tonight, please."  
She grasped the fingers that were pressed to her lips and kissed them lightly,  
"I'm sorry."  
He rolled on top of her, pushing her hair from her face.  
"Don't apologize." he leaned down and kissed her.  
It wasn't long before things fell back to normal, and she found she couldn't get his shirt off fast enough.

It was the day of the battle. Arthur and his knights and many of the Roman soldiers prepared early in the morning, and they were off before mid-day to meet the Saxons to the North. Sofia still didn't know where Arthur, Bors, Tristan or Gawains thoughts were, but she new she had Lancelot, Dagonet and Galahad on her side, and she felt confident. She found herself worrying more about seeing Cerdic in person for the first time in a year then actually fighting him. The things he did to her were unforgivable, and she couldn't help but shudder in fear at even the thought of him. As hard as she tried to put on a brave face, Lancelot could see threw the mask and see the fear in her eyes. He new she was a strong fighter, and she would fight till the death if she had to, but the Saxons brought out the fear, and he hated them for whatever they did to her to make her that way. The Saxons came into view when they reached the top of the next hill, and everyone noticed immediately how out numbered they were. Sofia heard many of the Romans gasp in shock, and some whispered things to each other like, _we will never make it_ and _there are far to many!_ The Saxon drums began, and they saw as the army marched forward, chanting something in their own language. To Arthur's horror, he saw in the forest to the left of them a large number of woads. He new they were out numbered before, but fighting both the Saxons and the woads would be suicide. But to his surprise, and everyone else's, the woads ran forward, attacking the Saxons. Lancelot and Arthur exchanged looks of shock and amazement as the blue coloured warriors ran to their aid. With new found hope, the knights charged forward, and the battle began.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen- Freedom&Anger

Fighting the Saxons was a lot harder then fighting the woads Sofia decided as she ran through the field. Lancelot was right beside her, and Galahad and Dagonet were close behind, and they all were having some difficulty with the amount of Saxons attacking. If it hadn't been for the woads, they would have been dead for sure. Soon excitement swept over her as she realized the number of Saxons was going down, and their side was winning. Sofia looked up on a grassy hill, and saw him. Cerdic and his son Cynric, along with a few others stood at the top of the hill watching the battle.  
"There!" she pointed, showing Lancelot and the others. They nodded and slowly made their way towards them. It wasn't long until Cerdic noticed her, and he saw the knights she was fighting beside.  
"She betrayed me, this time we take no prisoners. Kill her" he said and Cynric and the others went down the hill in her direction. Dagonet noticed them coming, and warned the others. A few minutes later Sofia found herself facing Cynric, her sword ready in front of her.  
"You betrayed us" he said to her. At the sound of his voice, all the memories of the year she spent with him came rushing back to her. She pushed them from her mind and glared at him,  
"Did you really think I would fight on your side, Saxon?" she asked. Lancelot was a bit surprised at the tone of her voice, but he stayed ready beside her. The Saxon stared at her for a moment before raising his hand and shouting,  
"Kill them!"  
The Saxons around him ran towards Sofia and the knights, and they readied their weapons. The knights dealt with the Saxons that ran towards them, but Sofia ran toward Cynric, wanting the pleasure of killing him herself. Lancelot watched in horror as the love of his life ran forwards and fought with the Saxon, and he was unable to run over and protect her because of his own fight. Galahad and Dagonet were also occupied at that moment, Sofia was on her own. Their swords clinked together as she fought the Saxon who was once in charge of her, a years worth of anger coming out all at once. Although she was a very skilled fighter, he had the upper hand in strength and size, and Sofia realized she wouldn't be able to hold him off much longer. Her energy fading fast, Cynric saw his opportunity and took it, hitting her hard in the face with the palm of his hand. She stumbled back, and he held his sword high, ready to deliver the fatal blow. Lancelot, Galahad and Dagonet cried out, fearful they were about to witness her death, when suddenly and arrow pierced right threw his midsection. He dropped his sword, falling to his knees. Sofia and the knights looked over as Arthur sat on his horse, bow in hand. He got off his horse, and offered a hand to help her up. The battle around them seemed to pause as she looked at her savior.  
"Thank you" she said. He nodded and turned to continue fighting. Lancelot ran to her and hugged her quickly before they also continued to fight. On the hill Cerdic watched as his son was killed. Without hardly any flicker of emotion crossing his face, he drew his sword and marched towards the field, determined to kill every knight on that field and leave Sofia for last, so she could watch it all. His first target was Tristan who was now on his feet, easily defeating everyone around him. Sofia caught a glimpse of Cerdic and looked to where he was going, and saw Tristan about 20 feet in front of him.  
"Tristan!" she cried, hoping he would hear here over the noise. Luckily, Tristan looked up at the sound of her cry and saw Cerdic about to swing at him. He blocked it just in time, something he wouldn't have been able to do if Sofia hadn't called his name. Tristan fought long and hard against him, but he couldn't hold on. Cerdic hit him hard in the stomach, causing the man to fall. Leaving him for dead, Cerdic moved on to Bors who was loudly yelling something to the Saxons he killed. Sofia couldn't watch as this man killed her friends so she ran towards him. Dagonet had ran over to Tristan who was still alive, but bleeding badly. Bors began fighting with Cerdic and this drew attention due to Bors' loud cries. Arthur and Gawain rode over, ready to help. Bors managed to hit Cerdic, stunning him for just a moment, and Sofia took her chance, plunging her blade deep in his back, the end coming out the other side. Falling to his knees, Sofia walked around to look him in the eyes. They stared at each other until the Saxon took his final breath and fell to the side. Sofia picked up her sword and stood for a few more moments, staring at the dead man at her feet. She felt someone beside her and looked up to see Arthur.  
"I should never have doubted you, I ask only for your forgiveness" he said.  
"I forgive you Arthur, and I too am sorry. For everything."  
Everyone who remained watched as the rest of the Saxons retreated into the forest. A loud battle cry erupted from the woads and Roman soldiers when they realized their victory. Dagonet did not celebrate for long because he was worried about Tristan, and put him on his horse to bring him back to the fort. The rest of the knights stayed behind to look for anymore wounded soldiers. One by one the knights approached Sofia, apologizing to her. By the time they arrived at the fort the next day, everyone was talking again and they were joking and laughing together as well. When they put their horses back in the stables, Dagonet came to tell them Tristan was going to be just fine, he just needed a few stitches, it looked a lot worse then it actually was. Everyone let out a sigh of relief, and went to visit him in his room just to check on him.  
Later that night Lancelot and Sofia went to the grassy field and spread out a blanket to lay on so they could look at the stars. Resting her head on his arm, she cuddled up close to him. The cool air gave her shivers, and Lancelot wrapped his cloak around the two of them to stay warm.  
"I am free now." she said, a wide grin on her face. "It has been 4 years since my village burnt down, but I am finally free." Lancelot kissed the top of her head.  
"You deserve it."  
"You will be free soon too, and before you know it we will be off getting married!" she said, tilting her head up watch his face. He laughed,  
"That's right! Only two weeks until the Bishop arrives with our papers!" he said cheerfully. Sofia tensed,  
"The, Bishop?" she asked. He nodded,  
"Yes, he is coming from Rome."  
"Bishop, Germanius?" she asked.  
"Yes, why?" It registered right after he said it.  
"Oohh." Sofia turned onto her back, bringing her hand to her forehead.  
"I don't want to see him again!" she cried.  
"Calm down, maybe he won't even recognize you." he said.  
Sofia sat up, pulling her knees to her chest.  
"Anyone but him" she whispered, almost begging the gods to send someone else. Lancelot sighed, the romantic night he had planned was clearly not happening now. He sat up rubbing her back.  
"It's not that big of a deal, he let you go. He won't be mad at you." he told her. She turned to him, anger in her eyes.  
"He lied to me Lancelot! He made me kill an innocent man!" she yelled. Lancelot was speechless as Sofia jumped to her feet.  
"I am not afraid of the man Lancelot! I hate him! I could kill him!" She stomped off, leaving Lancelot alone to gather the blanket and chase after her.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen - A Freedom not Granted.

Lancelot decided to let her go to their room alone to calm down. Instead he went to the tavern to enjoy some time with the knights. As usual Arthur wasn't with them and when the rest of the men saw him coming, they also saw the look of worry on his face.  
"Somethin' troubling you Lancelot?" asked Bors when he took a seat.  
"Its Sofia" he said rubbing a hand over his face.  
"Of course it is, what is it this time?" he asked.  
"I told her that Bishop Germanius was the one delivering us our discharge papers without even thinking about it!" said Lancelot.  
"So? Why does that matter?" asked Bors, clearly he had forgotten as well. Lancelot saw Gawain make the connection.  
"I bet she wasn't happy to hear that." said Gawain. Seeing the look of confusion the rest of the knights faces, Lancelot reminded them of what he made Sofia do when she was in Rome.  
"She said she could kill him. Do you really think she would?" asked Lancelot, having visions of her running forward and stabbing the Bishop.  
"No. She's just angry with him, and she has every right to be. It would probably be best if she avoided him because he could have her thrown in jail if she does anything she shouldn't" said Dagonet. Lancelot nodded in agreement.  
"But you know as well as I do that she would never stay behind if I asked her to." he sighed.  
"Well maybe she will this time because she doesn't want to see him." said Galahad. Vanora appeared with the men's drinks and everyone lightened up, starting up a knife throwing contest. Who ever had their knife farthest from the middle had to pay for everyone else's drink. Unfortunately for Galahad, he missed the board completely so he bought the next round of drinks. More games went on but Lancelot felt the need to go check on Sofia and Dagonet wanted to go see if Tristan needed anything since his wound left him lying in bed for the day. The two men left together and walked down the street.  
"So Tristan is doing well?" he asked Dagonet. He nodded,  
"Very well. He should be up doing his watch tomorrow. You know how that man never rests as long as he should." Lancelot chucked.  
"And what about Sofia? What are you going to do?" Dagonet asked.  
"I have no idea. I know she won't stay home, but I have to try and convince her." he said. Dagonet nodded and put a hand on his shoulder,  
"Good luck." he said before he left to Tristan's room. Lancelot walked to the room he and Sofia shared, and found her sitting by the fire, breaking up a small twig and throwing the pieces into the flame. She smelt the alcohol on him as he sat next to her.  
"You stink of alcohol" she informed him, a look of annoyance on her face. Lancelot chucked but she turned to him, clearly not finding anything funny.  
"What's the matter Sofia?" he asked with a sigh, feeling the good mood he had slipping away.  
"You honestly don't know?" she shouted, getting to her feet. He looked up at her from the floor,  
"If you stay here when we go to meet the Bishop, you won't have to see him." he told her.  
"Oh and you really think I'm going to wait here?"  
"Well it would be a good idea don't you think?" he asked, rising to he could look at her easier.  
"It wouldn't matter! I would see him when he arrived here anyways" she said.  
"You wouldn't have to; you could stay in here, or go out for a ride on the horse. You don't have to see him." he told her. Sofia thought about this and sat down on the edge of the bed.  
"If you saw him, you would loose control Sofia and he is _not_ someone you want to upset. He could throw you in jail in the blink of an eye!" he almost had a hint of desperation in his voice, pleading with her to hide herself. He couldn't imagine having the love of his life locked away in a cell. She thought more, and then sighed in defeat.  
"Alright, I will stay here." Lancelot smiled, pulling her into a tight hug.  
"Oh thank you Sofia!"  
The next two weeks went by quickly and before they new it, it was time to go meet the Bishop to escort him to the wall. Lancelot stood with Sofia behind the stables for their last moment of privacy before he had to go.  
"When I return, I will receive my papers and be a free man" he told her, his face showing nothing but happiness and excitement. She smiled and kissed his lips gently.  
"I shall be waiting for you, please be careful." Although most of the woads had come to help in the battle a few weeks ago, there were still some who hated Rome for taking over their land and they weren't afraid to run out and attack anyone they didn't like.  
"Don't worry about me" he whispered in her ear, hugging her tightly. They kissed one last time before going into the stables to get his horse. Sofia gave the rest of the men hugs and watched as they rode off one last time.  
The men made camp that night in the shelter of some trees.  
"Tomorrow we will meet with the Bishop. Then we will escort him the rest of the way to the wall and tomorrow evening, we will be free men." said Gawain, unable to hide his excitement.  
"We have waited fifteen years for this moment boys!" announced Bors. He held up his cup, and they all joined him in a cheer before taking a drink. The next morning they rose early with the sun and packed up their small campsite. By mid-day they spotted the Bishops carriage on a trail. To their surprise, just as the Bishop had come into view, woads in the forest on the opposite side of the carriage ran out, yelling and shooting arrows.  
"Woads" said Tristan and everyone kicked their horses forward to help. There weren't many, and the fight only seemed to last 15 minutes before they were all dead. Bors and Gawain pulled the curtain of the carriage back, revealing the man inside to have an arrow in his head. When Arthur took a look, he noticed that it was not in fact the Bishop, they had fooled the woads into thinking it was. The real Bishop rode forward then, and Arthur smiled,  
"Welcome to Britain, Bishop Germanius" he said. The Bishop smiled in return and in a few minutes, they were on the road again heading back to Hadrian's Wall.  
When word started spreading around the village that the knights were back, Sofia ran to the top of the wall and watched as they rode to the courtyard. She stayed out of sight and saw the Bishop exit the carriage. Memories of that night in Rome flashed before her eyes, and she blinked multiple times, trying to stop the visions she didn't want to see. Lancelot new she wouldn't be greeting him at the courtyard when he arrived, but he was unsure where she would be. When she saw Lancelot take his horse into the stables, she took the long way around to avoid the courtyard where the Bishop was. She ran inside to where he was taking the saddle of his horse and threw her arms around his neck.  
"I've missed you" she told him, kissing him.  
"I've missed you as well." She noticed the blood on his clothes and some dried up on his cheeks and frowned.  
"You had to fight?" she asked.  
"A few woads attacked the carriage when we arrived, I guess the arrival of the Bishop angered them." he said. She took his hand,  
"Come, let's get you cleaned up." They went back to their room where Sofia got a bucket of warm water and a wash cloth and wiped the blood from his face. She had him take off his shirt so she could inspect his chest and back for any other wounds. When she found nothing he smirked,  
"You're just trying to undress me" he said. She smiled;  
"I would never." she threw the dirty cloth into the bucket on the floor and wrapped her hand around the back of his neck, pulling him closer to her. They were interrupted just then with a knock on their door.  
"Come Lancelot, we must go to the Great Hall." Galahad yelled. Lancelot sighed,  
"I will be there in a moment, go on without me" he called so Galahad wouldn't wait. The young knight chuckled before he left, guessing as to what was going on behind the closed door. Sofia sat up and gently pushed him away,  
"Go! You're going to receive your paper!" she said cheerfully. Lancelot stood up and put his shirt back on. He gave her one last kiss on the top of her head before leaving for the hall. Sofia lay on their bed waiting for his return.  
Arthur and the knights waited around the table for the Bishop to come. They all were silent, thinking about their fallen brothers who used to sit at this very table with them. They thought of the battles they had been through over the years, the funerals they had attended, and the lives they had taken. As much as they were all excited to be free, there was one thing they didn't like to talk about, and that was the fact that after today they may never see each other again. Lancelot didn't know what the others had planned for their futures, although he guessed many wanted to return to Sarmatia. He knew Arthur wanted to go to Rome, and this upset him. Arthur was his best friend, someone he had grown close with from the beginning and he would never see him again. He new there would be no changing his mind though, so Lancelot tried not to think about it for it would just make him more upset. The doors opened then, and the Bishops assistant announced his arrival. The Bishop looked shocked at the sight of the round table, but made his way to a seat between Arthur's and Lancelot's. The assistant placed the box containing the papers beside the Bishop, and then backed off to stand by the wall.  
"You have been fighting here for fifteen years, and now it has come to the final days of your duty." he started.  
"Day, not Days," corrected Lancelot but the Bishop waved him off with a smile.  
"You have fought bravely, defending the Roman Empire with courage and strength. Rome, and the Holy Father, is pleased to give you your discharge papers, but first, I must speak with Arthur. In private." he said looking around at the knights who did not move.  
"We have no secrets." stated Arthur but when the Bishop said nothing more, the knights took their leave.  
It was much later then Sofia expected when Lancelot finally entered the room.  
"Well! Let me see it!" she said, jumping up to see the paper. She looked at his hands, they both were empty.  
"Where is it?" she asked. Lancelot said nothing and sat on the bed, anger in his eyes.  
"What happened?" she asked, sitting beside him.  
"We have a final order." he told her.  
"What! That can't be! Your fifteen years are up!" she cried.  
"We have to go rescue a Roman family up north, the Saxons are invading that area." he explained.  
"Saxons? How are they invading we killed them all a few weeks ago!"  
"Not all, many of them retreated when they saw they were loosing the battle. They must have appointed a new leader and now they are after this family" he said.  
"That's not fair! Rome should have to deal with this now you are free!" she yelled, balling her fists in anger. Lancelot said nothing and Sofia jumped up.  
"I am going to talk to him! He cannot do this!" she cried and she stormed out of the room before Lancelot could stop her.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen - The First Snow Fall.

"No Sofia! Stop!" shouted Lancelot, chasing her out the door. She ran fast, not wanting him to catch her. She ran to Arthur's room because he had offered it to the Bishop to stay in while he visited. She pounded on the door and Lancelot got to her side just as the Bishops assistant opened the door. She pushed past him and saw the Bishop standing over in the corner.  
"You cannot do this!" she cried. The Bishop looked at the young girl, and slowly he recognized her. A small smile played with the corner of his mouth.  
"You, I know you." he said.  
"The men are free! Their fifteen years of service is done!" she yelled, ignoring what he had said. Lancelot put a hand on her shoulder to stop her but she shook it off.  
"They don't have to go!" she added.  
"Yes they do. If they want to cross the Roman Empire to get home, then they have to finish their duty." he said.  
"That's not fair!" she cried, not sure what else to say.  
"I remember you. What is your name child?" he asked.  
"This isn't about me!" she shouted.  
"She is Sofia." said Lancelot, fearing if she did not answer the Bishop he would punish her some how.  
"Ah yes, Sofia. You were of great service to me last time we spoke. You were a hero."  
"That's a lie! You lied to me!" she screamed, tears of both anger and sadness rolling down her cheeks.  
"He was a good man and you lied!" she broke down, unable to control the crying.  
The Bishop said nothing, watching as the small girl fell apart. Lancelot stepped forward and put an arm around her.  
"Please excuse us Bishop, she's a little upset." he said.  
"I can understand, I am not happy with giving you a final order, but it has to be done." he said, not sounding the least bit upset. Lancelot nodded and led Sofia out of the room. She cried the whole way back to their room where he sat her on the bed.  
"What were you thinking!" he yelled. She didn't say anything so he continued.  
"You can't just do that Sofia! You can't yell at the Bishop! He has the power to lock you up or have you killed!"  
"He lied to me!" she cried.  
"I no that but you have to get over it! Screaming at him is not going to change the past, and its not going to change the fact that we have to complete this mission!"  
Sofia glared at him.  
"Maybe its easy for you to get over killing someone, you kill all the time! But I can't!" she growled.  
"So do you!" he shot back, referring to the battles she's helped with.  
"Yeah but I wasn't tricked into doing it! Its different killing an enemy then being tricked into killing an innocent man!" she said. Lancelot could see her point, but he was still mad at her for yelling at the Bishop.  
"Listen, I am sorry that I got so angry with you, its just that I care about you and I don't want anything to happen to you. Yelling at the Bishop wont change anything, I still have to do this." he said.  
"I'm coming with you guys, there is no way I am staying here with that man and letting you go on a dangerous mission without me." Lancelot nodded, figuring it was best for her to get away from here for a bit.  
"I figured you would." he said, smiling a bit.  
"I'm sorry for doing that, I over reacted. I was just so excited for you to be a free man and not have to go out to dangerous battles and risk getting killed." she said. "And I was already upset with the Bishop so I just was waiting for a reason to confront him." she added. Lancelot laughed,  
"Well now that its out of your system, I think we will avoid him for the time being."  
"Yes that is a good idea."  
Lancelot stood up, realizing they hadn't had dinner yet.  
"You wait here, I will return soon." he said. Before she could ask him where he was going, he left.  
She busied herself with lighting the fire place and lighting some candles around the room. She shut the window shutters and sat on the bed, waiting for Lancelot. He arrived soon after with a basket of food. There was fresh meat, fresh bread, potatoes and some vegetables.  
"Mmm smells good!" she said taking in a deep breath. Lancelot set up their small table and they enjoyed a nice hot meal by the fire place.  
Once they were done eating they decided to spend their last night before leaving going for a walk. They walked hand in hand along the grassy hills, spotting some dear running in the distance. They could see their breath now, and suddenly something cold touched Sofia's nose. She looked up and smiled,  
"The first snow fall." They both stopped as huge fluffy snow flakes started to fall around them. They covered the couples hair and clothing and created a thin layer of white fluff on the ground. Sofia laughed and stuck out her tongue. She tilted her head up towards the sky and tried to catch them. Lancelot laughed at her.  
"What? You never did this?" she asked. He shook his head no.  
"I used to do it all the time with my mother." she told him. He smiled as he watched her, seeing how happy she was for just that moment. Suddenly they were interrupted by a few snowballs landing around them and one actually hitting Lancelot in the chest. They looked over to where Bors, Dagonet, Gawain and Galahad stood laughing. Tristan was up on the wall because it was his turn for watch duty, but he too was laughing. Lancelot and Sofia bent down and each made a snow ball and threw them back. Lancelot hit Bors in the stomach while Sofia accidentally hit Galahad in the neck, causing the snow to go down his shirt. Galahad let out a high pitched yell as the snow melted down his skin.  
"Uh oh!" said Sofia and she started to run as Galahad picked up a large handful of snow and ran towards her. When he got pretty close he chucked the snow ball hard, which hit her in the lower back. He didn't stop running and he caught her, pinning her to the ground where he put a pile of snow on her face and down her shirt.  
"Galahad! Ok, ok stop!" she cried, trying to squirm away. He laughed and she finally managed to roll away from him. She sat up on her knees and threw a hand full of snow at his face. The rest of the men laughed as the two of them rolled around on the ground, piles of snow flying up every where. Finally Lancelot and Gawain stepped in, Gawain pulling Galahad to his feet and Lancelot pulling Sofia up. They were both red from the cold snow, and Lancelot could feel Sofia shivering from the amount of snow that had gone down her back. They walked back to the fort, throwing the occasional snowball at each other on the way.  
Sofia sat by the fire and Lancelot put a blanket around her shoulders. She smiled,  
"That was a good way to spend our final night before this mission." she said, leaning back against his legs when he sat on the bed behind her.  
"Yes it was, I haven't had that much fun in a while." he said, playing with her hair. They sat like that in silence for a while until they finally decided they should get some rest. Wrapping up in the blankets and each others arms, they tried to stay warm as sleep quickly found both of them.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen - The Final Order.

In the morning Sofia felt herself waking up. She stretched her legs and her arms and felt Lancelot beside her. She opened her eyes and saw he was still sleeping. She turned onto her side facing him and watched him sleep for a few minutes. His mouth was slightly in a relaxed smile and his eyes moved under his eyelids. She wondered what he was dreaming about. He moved a bit and a few shiny black curls fell over his forehead. She reached up and pushed them back and he smiled, opening his eyes.  
"Good morning" she said. He stretched and pulled her face to his where he kissed her forehead.  
"Good morning beautiful."  
"What were you dreaming?" she asked.  
"I cannot remember, why?"  
"You looked happy as you slept." she told him. He laughed,  
"It must have been about you then." She smiled and they got up heading to the tavern before leaving on their final mission. They joined the rest of the knights who all seemed in a dark mood. No one said anything for the entire meal, and the good mood Lancelot and Sofia had woken up with was pushed away with one of sadness and slight anger for having to leave. Sofia watched in the corner of the tavern as Bors said good bye to his kids and Vanora, who looked the least bit pleased he was leaving. Sofia understood how she felt, but then again, Sofia got to go with the men so she didn't have to say good bye. After they ate, they went to the stables to ready the horses. Arthur arrived soon after everyone else and the Bishop and his assistant followed close behind.  
"My assistant Horton will accompany you on this final mission." announced the Bishop. Horton stepped forward and he went with Jols who prepared him a horse.  
"May God be with you." said the Bishop as the knights; Sofia and Horton left the stables. Sofia and the Bishop shared a hate filled glare as she passed, and then they were gone. They rode into the night where it began to rain, but they kept moving wanting to get as close to the families house as they could before resting for the night. The next day they finally arrived at the house of Marius Honorius. Their mission was to bring Marius and his son, Alecto back to Hadrian's Wall with them. When Marius came down to greet them, Arthur informed him of their mission.  
"I refuse to leave." Marius said.  
The conversation ended with some kind of threat, something about dragging him to the wall by a horse. Sofia had stopped paying attention to the rude man in front of her and turned to look at the villagers. They were sickly skinny and many of them looked terrified, as if something would hurt them at any moment. Sofia felt bad for them, and wondered what was happening to them to make them look this way. Suddenly Marius ordered them back to work, and the guards began pushing them down and yelling at them. The servants yelled and many of them ran away to avoid being hit.  
"Hey!" cried Sofia when one guard threw a man down. Lancelot reached over and grabbed her hand, giving her a look that Sofia new meant _don't do anything, stay put._ She nodded, but really wanted to get off her horse and stab the cruel men. _Would I love to see him get dragged by Arthur's horse _she thought, stifling a laugh. Arthur got off his horse, noticing something in the field. They all watched as Arthur asked the villagers a few questions, and then freed an old man who had been chained to some kind of post. He had marks on his back from multiple whippings and he fell to the ground when Arthur freed him, to tired and weak to stand.  
"Help him!" Sofia heard Arthur yell and a few villagers ran forward to help the old man. Suddenly everyone went quiet, listening to the drums they could hear in the distance. Sofia shuddered, knowing all to well what the drums meant. Many of the villagers looked in fear and confusion, having never heard the drums of the Saxons before. Lancelot wrapped his arm around her shoulders,  
"I will protect you." he whispered. Soon after they first heard the drums, Tristan returned, telling Arthur where their best escape route was.  
"Who are all these people?" he asked Arthur as the villagers prepared their carriages.  
"Their coming with us" Arthur informed him. Tristan looked at Arthur,  
"Then we'll never make it."  
Arthur looked past Tristan and saw some guards putting stones over a door, blocking it off. He moved towards them,  
"What is this?" he asked.  
No one answered him, so Arthur motioned to Dagonet who came over with his axe, and broke down the stones. He kicked open the door as well, and Lancelot got off his horse, drawing one of his swords. Gawain pushed the guards in with him, and Arthur and Dagonet went in. Lancelot told Sofia to stay with the others, and the four men went into the dark hall. They came out a few minutes later, Dagonet holding a young boy and Arthur carried a woman. Horton ran over to Dagonet, and Sofia heard him say the boys arm was broken.  
"She's a woad." Tristan said, motioning to the girl in front of Arthur. Arthur gave her some water and soon they were put into a carriage and everyone was leaving. It began to snow and the ground was soon covered in a thin blanket of snow as the knights and the villagers slowly made their way to the wall. Sofia galloped forward to ride beside Lancelot.  
"We are moving to slow, we will be caught." she said.  
"I no, but we can't move any faster." he told her.  
"What if the Saxons catch us, we will not be able to defend all these people."  
"I know, but Arthur won't leave them behind." he said.  
"I know, and I wouldn't want to either, but I don't want to be caught." Lancelot smiled at her,  
"You worry too much, and we might make it to the wall without even seeing them."  
After a while the group came to a large frozen lake.  
"We have no choice; we have to cross the Ice." said Tristan.  
"Alright, tell everyone to get out of their carriages and spread out" said Arthur. Everyone got off their horses and slowly started walking on the ice. They weren't even half way when the ice started making noises that caused the horses to panic. Arthur looked at his knights, who all agreed they would face the Saxons on the lake.  
"But your seven against 200!" cried one of the villagers, trying to talk Arthur out of his decision.  
"Eight, you could use another bow." said the woman they had rescued whose name was Guinevere. Sofia watched as the woman walked past and found a position on the ice. There something about that woman Sofia didn't like, and she was not happy she was joining them. They all waited on the ice after the villagers left, and the Saxons marched up to the other side of the lake. They fired a few arrows which landed short.  
"Bors, Tristan." said Arthur. The men readied their arrows.  
"They are far out of range." said Guinevere. Sofia rolled her eyes and smirked as Tristan and Bors hit their marks, and a few Saxons fell. She almost chuckled at the look on Guinevere's face. They continued firing at the Saxons who had started to walk forward.  
"Make them cluster!" ordered Arthur and everyone shot for the outside of the group. They realized the ice wasn't going to break so they all put their bows down and grabbed their swords preparing to fight. Dagonet looked down and saw his axe lying at his feet. Without warning he grabbed it and let out a battle cry as he ran forward.

**I know I haven't used the exact words from the movie, I hope that doesn't bother people. I didn't want to use the exact words from the movie because we all know what they said and did in the movie, so I wanted to write it my own way. I hope your enjoying it!**


	19. Chapter 19

**For all you Dagonet fans, it's your lucky day! In this story, Dagonet is going to survive! Enjoy!**

Chapter Ninteen - A New King.

"Cover him!" yelled Arthur as he watched Dagonet pound his axe into the ice.  
"Kill him!" cried the new Saxon leader, pushing his archers forward. The Saxons aimed for Dagonet while Arthur and the rest aimed for the Saxons. The ice split, a large crack heading straight towards the Saxons. To everyone's horror, they watched as the large knight fell into the freezing water, an arrow in his side.  
"Dag!" cried Bors and he and Arthur ran forward to pull him from the icy water. The Saxons began falling into the water as the ice cracked, and a few of the knights began to loose their balance as the crack was coming back in their direction as well. Arthur and Bors managed to pull Dagonet from the water and Gawain ran forward to help drag him back to the safety of the ground. Everyone got off the ice and watched as the last of the Saxon army fell into the freezing water.  
Sofia tore off her cloak and wrapped it around Dagonet who was shivering violently. Gawain pulled the arrow from his brother, and the knight didn't make a sound, as if he was to cold to even notice. Tristan ran over to the horses they had left in the safety of the trees and they all lifted Dagonet up onto the horse. They made it back to the carriages in about 20 minutes, and carried Dagonet inside. The man was slipping out of consciousness as they wrapped him in many blankets and furs. Sofia stayed with him while the others rode on their horses with the rest of the people. She let Dagonet sleep, but kept a close eye on him, rubbing his arms, fingers and toes trying to warm them up quicker. The man slept the entire way to Hadrian's Wall, and when they arrived some maids prepared a warm bath for him to warm him up. Lucan, the little boy Dagonet had rescued stayed with him, happy to see he was still alive. The Bishop came forward and saw Alecto, a large smile spreading across his face.  
"You have done it! Here, your discharge papers!" he said, handing the box to Arthur. Arthur glared at him, blaming the Bishop for the close call with Dagonet. He handed each of the men their papers, and gave Dagonet's to Bors for him to give to him later. The Bishop departed the fort rather quickly with Horton and the guards he had come with while the rest of the knights went to their rooms to rest. Lancelot and Sofia went to their room and Sofia gave him a tight hug.  
"Your free." she told him. He smiled and kissed her forcefully holding her face with both hands. She wrapped her arms around his waist and they backed up to where Sofia was pinned to the wall. He lifted her and she wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. They kissed for quite a while, finally parting to get some air.  
"I never thought this day would come" he said, holding the paper tightly in his hand.  
"What shall we do now?" she asked him.  
"We celebrate!"  
Arthur, the knights, Sofia and Guinevere all went to the tavern that night. Most of the villagers also joined them and they had a large celebration for the knight's freedom. Even Dagonet, although he was still weak managed to join them for a little while. Arthur raised his glass of wine up high, and everyone quieted down to hear him.  
"Knights, Brothers-in-arms. Our fifteen years of service to the Roman Empire is over. You have fought bravely with the strength and courage of an entire army. Let us not forget the ones we have lost. The other men who died in battle, defending a country that was not their own. Their memory shall live on for we shall not forget them." Arthur took a sip of his wine, and everyone else followed his action.  
"To freedom!" yelled Bors.  
"To freedom!" everyone else joined in and cheered.  
The celebration went on into the night. There was a lot of dancing and singing and games, and it was well past three o'clock when Lancelot and Sofia made their way to bed.

Today was a special day. Lancelot dressed in his armor which was recently cleaned up to shine. Sofia wore a beautiful lavender dress and they walked hand in hand to the ceremony. It had been five months since the knights received their freedom, and they still hadn't left the fort. In fact, the fort had been re-built and now it housed many more people. The farm lands were much bigger which allowed the farmers to grow more vegetables and make more money in the market. The buildings where large and made from stone and Arthur felt like he had created his own small city.  
Arthur and Guinevere stood together as the ceremony began. Sofia had grown to like the woman, and they spent lots of time together now. With the help of Guinevere, the woads soon came to trust them like they had long ago in the battle, and now they all lived together in peace at the fort. Merlin, who was the woad leader, spoke at the ceremony, which ended with the crowning of the new King.  
"King, Arthur!" he announced and the crowd erupted into a loud chanting of 'Arthur, Arthur, Arthur.'  
Arthur finished his speech and everyone knelt down to the new King as flaming arrows were shot into the sea.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty - A Special Day.

Sofia had butterflies in her stomach as she sat in front of her mirror. With her long white flowing gown around her and her hair done up in pins and white lilies, she thought about the rest of the day. She was getting married today, and soon she would be meeting Lancelot in the Great Hall. The hall had been transformed into a large room with a carpet down the center for her and Lancelot to walk down and chairs all around for guests. At the end was a white arch decorated with white and red flowers. It was nothing overly fancy, but she knew it would be special. There was a knock on the door just then, and Guinevere came in.  
"Oh you look gorgeous!" she said when Sofia stood up.  
"Thanks" she said. Guinevere could hear the nervousness in her voice and put her hands on her Sofia's shoulders.  
"Don't be scared, it's going to be perfect. Come now they are ready to begin" she said, taking her hand. They went to the Hall where Lancelot stood at the door waiting for her. Guinevere went inside and sat with the other knights. Arthur was at the front of the room, he was going to be giving the speech. Lancelot bent down and kissed her cheek.  
"You are beautiful" he whispered. He was wearing his armor much like he did at Arthur's ceremony. They walked hand in hand down the carpet to the front of the room where Arthur said a few words. He turned to Lancelot, and it was his turn to say a speech he prepared.  
"My dearest Sofia. I have watched you grow from a young girl with fear in your eyes, to a young woman with confidence and courage. You have shown you are no ordinary woman, riding to battle with us and that has shown to me you are strong and brave. I know you need no protection, but I swear to you from this moment on, I will protect you and take care of you know matter what. This ring stands for my love and loyalty to you, and I love you very much." he said, slipping the ring onto her finger. Arthur turned to Sofia, and she began.  
"Lancelot. I have felt nothing but safety and love when I'm with you from the moment I met you. You believed me when no one else did, you stuck up for me when no one else would, and you came back to me when I thought I lost you forever. This ring symbolizes my love and loyalty to you, and I will never leave your side." She slid the ring into place and they turned to Arthur who raised his hands in the air.  
"You are now, man and wife" he announced. Everyone clapped and cheered as the new couple embraced and kissed. They walked back outside hand in hand and they went to their bedroom to rest and change into their dancing clothes for the celebration that would take place later.  
"So my beautiful, perfect, wonderful wife. What are you wearing tonight?" he asked her, taking his swords and heavy armor off to change into a more comfortable outfit.  
"Wait right there, and I will show you" she said. She stepped into the back room to dress, and came back out in a floor length red dress. The sleeves were long and there was a gold belt that came around her waist. The neck line was a deep V, and she wore a small gold chain on her neck. The dress was made of a soft material and fit to her small figure perfectly.  
"Wow." was all Lancelot could manage. She laughed,  
"You like it then?"  
Lancelot pulled her into his chest, kissing her and that was all the answer she needed.  
They joined the rest a few hours later at tavern where the celebration began. Gawain hugged her, picking her up off the ground and doing a spin. He kissed her lightly on the cheek before setting her back down.  
"Congratulations, you look great by the way."  
"Thanks Gawain." The rest came over and hugged the two and congratulated them as well. The newly weds looked at each other, both beaming with happiness and love for each other, and thought of the future they would spend together.

**Well there it is! I hope everyone liked my story. If I was very out of character for any of the characters, I am sorry. Like I said this is my first fan fiction so I just kind of went for it.**


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